Every year, when our kids were young, we read a book at Advent. We first discovered these books when our kids were starting in elementary school. This series put our family in the context of the weeks just prior to the birth of Christ, and we often couldn’t wait to finish dinner so we could light our candles and read together. We began with Jotham’s Journey, and in subsequent years, we read through Bartholomew’s Passage, Tabitha’s Travels, and now a 4th book, Ishtar’s Odyssey, has been linked to form a set, Storybooks for Advent. Each of these revolves around a child’s experience of the birth of Christ, and now our grandchildren are reading those books. Lisa O’Brien (O’Brien’s Bookshop in downtown Midlothian) and I were talking about these books as Advent resources. They offer a legacy for our kids that few other options do, so I hope you’ll consider using these this season!

At the core of the concept of Advent is this sense of waiting, wondering, hoping, and anticipating. While that’s especially acute in children, we still experience that in adulthood. We long for problems to be solved, relationships to be healed, plans to work out, and comfort to soothe. The waiting makes the “coming” of these even sweeter.

Every Christmas, I ask God for a fresh insight. I have preached about Christmas for over 3 decades now, and I still hunger, wait, and wonder. So, this year’s picture is one I never expected. Even as I write this, I’m about to lead our Explorers’ Bible study in Job. Today’s discussion (and it IS an often-raucous discussion!) will be titled in my notes: “God’s Foreshadow of Mediator and Christmas.” As you may know, Job faces very difficult circumstances that he does not understand. His friends keep trying to find a “sin” that caused his calamity, but Job is an upright person who takes God seriously. But at one point, Job is literally begging for a mediator between himself and God, someone who could bring Job together with God, who could plead his case.

Jesus’ coming did precisely that! It was the answer to Job’s pleas, the answer to the prophets’ hopes, and it was the answer for the fall of humankind. Jesus’ coming fulfilled the “waiting and wondering” of generations.

And now, His coming can meet our own “waiting and wondering.”

We begin that celebration this weekend with “Presents or Presence?” It’s our Advent experience, and I hope you’ll be with us on that journey.