advent.

I asked someone what she thought Advent was about.
Her response?
"Eating a piece of chocolate every day for the month of December because stores sell calendars for it."

Okay.  I get it.  Christmas is entirely commercialized and sometimes it becomes more about maintaining traditions than about the real "reason for the season."  We put up our Christmas trees, complete with handmade ornaments from our childhood, or perhaps perfectly color-coordinated and themed ornaments to maintain the "pinterest" look of our homes.  We frame our windows with white lights.  We bake peppermint treats.  We wrap gifts with paper and bows.  We sing carols and drink hot chocolate.  We may even make a birthday cake for Jesus.

 And it is all in the name of tradition.

I don't mean to say that tradition is bad.  In fact, my family covers the entire month from Thanksgiving to Christmas with "every year we ___!"  There is a lot of value to creating special moments and special memories by doing things regularly that you enjoy together and that celebrate well.  Not only do we celebrate, but we celebrate for an entire month!  How much better could it get?

But in the bustle of garland and frosted window-panes, it becomes far too easy to forget.  The why of the season gets lost in the tradition, in the busy, and even in the beautiful.

Last Sunday began the season of Advent.  It's a season of the church calendar that comes around every year.  And every year I need a kick in the pants to remember it.  How easily do we forget what Christmas actually celebrates?

Advent celebrates the waiting.  The anticipation.  The expectancy.  And here we sit in our earthly, sinful mess, anticipating the restoration, the redemption that Christ brings.  Advent celebrates it - the already (Christ came!  He conquered sin and death!) and the not yet (He's coming again!  And ALL the earth will be redeemed!).

So we live in the already but not yet and anticipate the coming of Christ in this season.