Advent…Anticipation

by Michele Husfelt on November 24

(As we enter the Advent season this Sunday, we will offer four devotions written by NorthStar women beginning next Monday.)

The Latin word for Advent is adventus, meaning coming. During this season, we are invited to rest and reflect as we prepare our hearts for Jesus's arrival. We look forward to celebrating His first coming and anticipating His second.

Advent is an invitation to step away from the busy pace of the season and quietly enter a space where we can sit for a few minutes, quiet our souls, and listen to our longings. We long for our hearts to be filled with His peace. We long for the day we see Jesus face-to-face. Indeed, we were made for more.

As we prepare to celebrate the joyful yet humble birth of our Savior, may we ready our hearts for new life and invite Jesus to do a new work within us. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us, "The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come."

As we begin this season, let us recognize our deep need for a Savior. May our hearts be drawn toward this longing, to the gentle whisper of a still small voice that softly proclaims His great love—through the birth of a newborn and the coming of a King.

Emmanuel. God with us.

And they shall call his name Emmanuel, (which means, “God with us”). ~Matthew 1:23