Tips for Honoring Advent 2
Tips for honoring Advent (by Tracey E. Herzer, from the Pastoral Center, with permission)
Valued Preparations? As of today, there are 14 days until Christmas – maybe less if your Christmas Celebration is earlier. What are the first three words that come to mind when you think about this?
We all know that we are busier during Advent leading up to Christmas, but we often underestimate the amount of work involved and what we truly value about this season can get lost.
Rank these possible Christmas Values from Most Valuable(1) to Least Valuable.
Only use each number once.
I believe Christmas is a time to…
____ Be a peacemaker in my family and the world at large
____ Spend enjoyable time with my immediate family
____ Reunite with my relatives
____ Celebrate the birth of Christ
____ Create a festive, beautiful home environment
____ Show my love and generosity through gifts
____ Remember the poor, lonely and needy
____ Be active in my church community
____ Celebrate with friends
____ Relax and be renewed
Consider making a list of all the holiday preparations you do.
Then ask yourself:
- How much time and energy are you putting into things that match your highest values?
- How much are you putting into doing things that hold very little value for you?
- Which of these are you doing for other people’s expectations vs. your own?
- How many keep the true meaning of Christmas?
- Are there any changes you’d like to make to align your tasks more closely with your values?
- How possible do you think this would really be for you?
- How committed would you be toward making the tasks more aligned with your values?
Our Prayer for this Advent Journey:
Gracious God, you give to us of your abundance and we are grateful. Rouse us from a life of mindless “wanting” and help us recognize what is truly important and what is expendable. Reveal to us unexpected places of peace and simplicity and let our hearts be content in you, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of our lives. Amen. ~ Tracey E. Herzer
Digital Advent Reflections: To help keep Christ in your Christmas, Reflection Booklets could be helpful for your Advent Journey, and remember the electronic version of Journeying Together through Advent on our website.