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Anticipation and preparation are the keywords for the Advent Season. How are you preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Is the anticipation you are feeling merely the pressure created by shopping, parties, and other commercial hassles? It is very difficult to slow down at this time of the year and really think about the meaning of December 25. But is it incumbent upon you to find the time to focus on the meaning of Christmas as a Christian. Not only are we celebrating the birth of Jesus but anticipating His second coming. The manifestation of Jesus to the world in His human form provides us the perfect opportunity to realize that we are not alone. A good example of the anticipation comes from Mary's cousin Elizabeth and appears in the Gospel of Luke 1:41-45, "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.'" Although Elizabeth was expecting her own child after being barren for many years, she realized the importance of Mary's pregnancy. Elizabeth could be described as the first Christian. She is faithful to God's word and honors and adores Jesus while He is still in Mary's womb. What a wonderful witness and example for us all. Later, her son John provides a perfect example of preparation when he is baptizing people in the Jordan as the Gospel of Mark 1:3-5 tells us, "A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins." How can we make straight the path for the Lord? I think this is again an example of God asking us to be His hands and feet on earth. We are called to share the Good News. We are called to talk with each other about God. That is why I started this blog and why I have asked folks to answer the seven question survey. Being in communication about our spiritual journey allows us to grow personally but also offers a path for others, those who are struggling or may just need a nudge. I hope that you are able to spend a portion of each day during Advent preparing to celebrate Christ's birth and anticipating the glory that is to come. Merry Christmas!

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