Christmas Anticipation

Being raised in the church of Christ I never heard much about Advent. I hope that I will not offend anyone talking about it here, but in the last few years I have been drawn more and more to the concept of the season of Advent. I do know that the season we celebrate as Christmas was most likely not when Christ was actually born and that this is a sensitive issue in many of our churches. But when I look at the history of Advent and what it represents I am not sure why we would be opposed at setting aside a time where we are more intentional about focusing in on the coming of our Lord, not just as a baby but the fact He will be coming again one day. I am thankful that I am part of a church whose eldership has agreed with us participating in some Advent activities. We began tonight (since Advent begins this Sunday) and will continue for the next four weeks. We had a special time of scripture reading, singing and lecture on preparing our hearts and making room for Jesus. I don't know about anyone else, but I so much need this focus as it is way too easy for me to get caught up in all the commercialism (buying trees, decorations, presents, food, etc.) and totally be oblivious to the real reason for the season.

If you are interested in exploring more about advent there is some good information on the following websites. There is particularly some good ideas on how to celebrate this time in your homes with your family.
http://www.faith-at-home.com
http://thebillabong.info/otm_adv/otm06_p2.html
http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/adx/xcust.html
http://www.makedisciples.com/Christmas/advent.htm
http://www.spirithome.com/advent.html#meaning

If you know of other sites, please let us know about those as well.

And if you disagree with this post you are welcome to give your point of view here too. It is with a sincere heart that I enter into this dialogue and really have no intention of offending anyone. I think this is exactly what Paul is referring to in Romans 14:5-6 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord."