Yesterday morning as I was driving to work, I was super excited to see snow flurries drifting from the sky. The clouds were patchy and the sunrise had been spectacularly red and gold. Nature announced the shifting seasons.
On Sunday at church, another shift was made. We gathered to fellowship, sing songs, and decorate our church for the coming season of Advent. The tree got decked out with chrismons (symbols of our faith) and lights, evergreens were draped around our balcony, and the Advent wreath took its place of honor in the front of the church, adorned with candles that will be lit one by one each of the next Sundays.
For Christians, Advent is the beginning of the new year in the liturgical (church) calendar. We define Advent as “a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming.”1 We reflect on both the birth of Christ and what His coming into the world meant for our salvation, as well as preparing our hearts for His return.
Come, Lord Jesus!
I reflect on the season of Advent back in 2019–the year I was pregnant with my son. The season of expectation took on such a new meaning that year (especially since his due date was Christmas day!) and even though COVID made Christmas of 2020 difficult, the next years after that have been filled with expectation of a different kind.
I had another dream recently, one that really opened my eyes. In the dream, I encountered someone from my past who usually made me freeze with fear–and instead, I took this person down physically and made them my prisoner (remember, this is a dream and things are symbolic; they don’t translate into real things and desires!). That showed me that I have risen above the situation that happened with this person and that it no longer holds me captive–I am free! And not only did I have this person subdued, I also fed them, which indicates being able to show mercy. The last notable thing in the dream was that I noticed I was pregnant, far enough along to see the baby moving in my belly (again, symbolism, not actually pregnant here). Pregnancy in a dream means that something new is about to be “birthed” in my life, and clearly it was pretty far along.
As Advent begins a new year in the church, I am so excited to see that not only have I found real healing from a situation that has plagued me for many years, I am also about to experience more newness being birthed into my life.
God desires to birth newness in each of our lives. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become a new creation–the old has passed, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) But we shouldn’t stop there. We are not made completely perfect in the moment of salvation; we must continue to labor toward better things through Him.
My dream showed me that I have labored through a terrible season of life and now that I have healed, I am ready for God to bring out something new. Rainy seasons and snowy seasons have watered the ground (Isaiah 55:8-11) and now He is ready to bring forth a new season. Even now, it is springing up! (Isaiah 43:18-19)
New beginnings can happen at any point in the year, as my sweet friend Carol pointed out to me recently. Sometimes they coincide with an actual calendar shift, and sometimes they don’t. But it doesn’t matter what the calendar says. God is not bound by a calendar. It is His pleasure to do His work in His timing.
Friends, as we enter into this season of Advent, live with your eyes open. You may be in a different state of labor than I am right now, but rest assured, God desires to birth something new in you.
The season of Advent is an invitation to come into the presence of Jesus and worship Him while we wait for His return. It is a time to lean into His promises and remember the good news:
- “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” -Isaiah 9:2 NIV
- “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” -Isaiah 9:6 NIV
- “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:9, 14 NIV
Breathe a little deeper this season and allow the Breath of the Spirit to fill your dry bones up (Ezekiel 37). Expect great things from God. He made the whole universe that we live in; He can begin a new work in your life, and He loves you so much that not only can He, He wants to! And when you allow Him in, He will.
Welcome to a blessed Advent season. Posture your heart to receive Him.
Blessings,
~Lynne
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