Advent is the four weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. Part of how my family and I watch for his coming is by making an Advent Wreath similar to the one shown here.
To watch for the coming of Christ you must consciously quiet yourself. Quieting the heart is the opposite of the Wal-Mart scene pictured here. This is a photo of people rushing in the Wal-Mart doors at 5am in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the day following Thanksgiving. 
That’s not what I am talking about.
Here’s a starter exercise. Take a big breath in and slowly exhale. Now read the Advent reading below.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be Alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with an assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" Mark 13:32-37
Now slowly read the following words aloud: I am committing myself to watch for the coming Messiah in the next four weeks — his coming as a baby in a manger and his second coming when all will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
If you will join me in the days ahead, I believe we all will uncover a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy. The most probable explanation of that desire, wrote C.S. Lewis, is that we we made for another world.
Happy Advent!
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