Thoughts on Advent/Christmas!

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As I sit here in the silence right now I wish I was more poetic and inspiring, but despite the fact that I am not I would still like to encourage you all to take the next 10 days and truly focus your hearts towards the one that we are celebrating and anticipating this Christmas season! I love the idea of Advent and the meaning of of the Latin root Adventus which means Coming! When we celebrate Advent we are remembering the first coming of the Christ and anticipating and preparing for his eventual second coming! What more perfect time of year is there for us to set aside a time to focus on Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love; The Hope that was given to Israel for their coming Messiah and that we have in the second coming of Christ. The Peace that we can experience in Jesus and the eventual Peace that will come upon the earth. The Joy that was experienced when the angels proclaimed His birth and the Joy that we find in our salvation. Finally the Love that came down to earth as a babe and became a living sacrifice for our sins! This year more than any other has brought much reflection and joy to my own heart! I find it so important to teach these things to our children, and in doing so I am really starting to see it beginning to sink into my own children's hearts and minds. It is such a blessing to hear the thoughts that come from the mouths of babes! This week Buster was doing a science notebooking entry and the verse he was asked to copy was:

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1

Immediately after reading it his eyes lit up and he said, "Mom that's our Jesse tree verse."

He got it! It is sinking in!

I'm so glad I decided to add a Jesse tree to our Advent this year. It is so important for us to remember and to learn how the old testament ties into the new, and how God had an entire plan worked out from the beginning.

One of my all time favorite things about Christmas is singing Christmas Carols! I'm so blessed to be able to sing these along with my children and to hear their sweet little voices. Last Sunday during our wreath lighting we sang a few and it was so sweet seeing Buddy rest his little face on his arms and just take in the music. I wish I had captured that moment with a photo, but it will forever be in my heart!

 

He is wearing his newborn baby hat here!

May you all be blessed this Christmas season as we are blessed, and may you be a blessing to all those around you!