Advent
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Friday, November 27th, 2009Part 1 of series: Introduction to Advent
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This coming Sunday is the first day of Advent. If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a year, you know that I generally make a big deal out of Advent. If you’re new to my blog, however, you may […]
Advent Conspiracy
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008Thanks to my sister, I recently learned of a fascinating new approach to Christmas and Advent. Started by five pastors in 2006, Advent Conspiracy encourages us to: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Check out this short (2 minutes, 39 seconds) video introduction to Advent Conspiracy. No matter how you respond, it […]
Is Advent Biblical?
Friday, December 5th, 2008Part 6 of series: Introduction to Advent
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Earlier in this series I mentioned the fact that many Protestant Christians reject Advent because they consider it to be a Roman Catholic practice. For most of these, it isn’t so much the Roman Catholic aspect of Advent that is truly […]
Sharing My Greatest Advent Discovery
Thursday, December 4th, 2008Part 5 of series: Introduction to Advent
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Earlier in this series I spoke of discovering Advent. Of course I didn’t discover it in the way an explorer discovers a place no one has been before. Millions upon millions of Christians have observed Advent for centuries upon centuries. (Check […]
Growing Closer to God in Advent: Some Practical Suggestions
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Part 4 of series: Introduction to Advent
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So far in this series I’ve explained what Advent is and why I have found it helpful to observe Advent. If you’re at all convinced, you may wonder what to do about it. In this post and the next in this […]
Why Advent?
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008Part 3 of series: Introduction to Advent
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In my last post, I told the story of my Advent beginnings. When I started out as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991, for the first time in my life, I began to see Advent as a distinct season of […]
Advent Beginnings
Monday, December 1st, 2008Part 2 of series: Introduction to Advent
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In my last post in this series, I explained the timing and purpose of Advent, as well as its unexpected color scheme. I closed by noting that Advent is growing in popularity, especially among Protestant Christians who, in many cases, did […]
Advent Devotion: The Lighting of the First Candle
Sunday, November 30th, 2008Introduction to Advent?
If you’re looking for some basic material on Advent, I have done some extensive writing on the subject. Please check out the following resources:
What is Advent? An Introduction to Advent
My blog series covers the basics of Advent: its meaning, traditions, and spiritual purpose.
Advent Devotional Guide: Preparing for the Coming of Christ
This devotional guide […]
Advent Approaches . . . .
Saturday, November 29th, 2008Part 1 of series: Introduction to Advent
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Tomorrow is the first day of Advent. If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a year, you know that I generally make a big deal out of Advent. If you’re new to my blog, however, you may wonder why […]
Christmas Devotion: The Lighting of the Christ Candle
Monday, December 24th, 2007Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
[Re-light the three purple candles and the pink candle]
We Celebrate the Birth of Christ
In the season of Advent we have used the Advent wreath and its candles to help us get ready for this great celebration of the birth of Christ.
When we lit the first purple candle, we asked God to […]
Advent Devotion: The Lighting of the Fourth Candle
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007The Lighting of the Fourth Candle: Waiting for the Son
For the Fourth Sunday of Advent (or thereabouts)
[Re-light two purple candles and the pink candle.]
We Remember the Meaning of Advent
Advent is a word that means “coming” or “visit”. In the Christian season of Advent we prepare for the “advent” of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation […]
Advent Devotion: The Lighting of the Third Candle
Sunday, December 16th, 2007This is an excerpt from my Advent Devotional Guide that uses the Advent wreath. If you have a real wreath, you can use it, either alone, or with others. If you don’t have a wreath, follow this guide, and you can “light” the Advent candle for today online. (I originally wrote this guide for families […]
Advent Devotion: The Lighting of the Second Candle
Sunday, December 9th, 2007This is an excerpt from my Advent Devotional Guide that uses the Advent wreath. If you have a real wreath, you can use it, either alone, or with others. If you don’t have a wreath, follow this guide, and you can “light” the Advent candle for today online. (I originally wrote this guide for families […]
My Greatest Advent Discovery Revisited and Retooled
Monday, December 3rd, 2007Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
On Saturday evening I attended a Christmas parade in my new hometown of Boerne, Texas. Actually, it was a Weihnachts Parade. The German word for Christmas is Weihnachten (literally, “holy nights”). Boerne, which is pronounced like “journey,” (in German, Börne, named after the 19th-century German writer, Ludwig […]
Good News for Adventophiles Everywhere . . . Advent Begins
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007Today is the first day of Advent. Yes, I know most popular Advent calendars begin with December 1, including my online version. But today is the first Sunday in Advent, which is the first official day of the Christian season. In fact, it’s the first day of the Christian year.
If you’ve been reading my blog […]
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