Slowing Down to Celebrate

Advent. Just saying the word brings back a flush of memories from my childhood. One of those memories is a very nostalgic Advent Christmas wreath with its synthetic bright green pine needles and the purple, pink, and white candles firmly glued in place. This wreath symbolized more than a crafty purchase, it was what prompted my parents to pause and gather our family together once a week to share a Bible story and hymn while reflecting on God’s transformative power at Christmas. It was a sweet time, a chance to pause a midst the busyness of the season and all the activities t hat tend to swirl around us at Christmastime, and I am forever grateful we practiced this tradition.

Now as an adult, I find myself longing for those quiet nights as a family when all we needed was the closeness of each other and a candle to show the way for baby Jesus to come and invade our lives. Those moments seem to evade me more and more, which is why I was secretly relieved this month when a friend asked me to participate in a weekly advent series at her house. This time is focused on slowing down to simply celebrate and be still before Jesus, reflecting on the meaning behind the season without all the tinsel and mistletoe clouding our view. And now I find myself thankful for a new tradition that will help me redefine the season this year.

This is something that reminds me of the summer. Life moves by fast. With so much anticipation before a mission trip, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and forget the whys behind what we’re doing. Just like the build up to Christmas, it’s easy to get caught up in the bright lights or newest Black Friday deal. Working at our Family Sites this summer, I was amazed at how families were relieved to be given “permission” to intentionally reconnect and slow down, to take a break from the everyday routine in order to spend time just enjoying each other and serving together. Somehow, slowing down and spending time reflecting on God’s goodness together has become an abnormality in our lives, and unless we plan this into our schedules with intentionality, it can easily be missed.

We get so stressed about achieving, chasing, doing and working that we forget that all God really cares about is knowing us and letting Him transform us from the inside out. His Kingdom really is an Upside-Down Kingdom. And that’s what Christmas is all about – the surprising birth of a baby boy in a long-forgotten backyard of a busy town where barely anybody noticed, until He grew up to change the world by giving His life away for all. It’s about how God became a tiny, dependent human being and in vulnerability lived among us, and now He invites us into the bigger story – into the timeline of His Kingdom – where lives are changed and hearts are renewed daily as a part of the journey.

So what are you doing this Advent season? Or maybe more importantly, what can you stop doing to just be present and soak up the Advent season? May traditions new and old as well as the stolen moments of quiet reflection surprise you as the closeness of the baby Savior surrounds you in this holiday season.

Starting in 2008, Krista has worked in a variety of roles throughout her summers with YouthWorks; her most recent highlight being Area Director over YouthWorks’ family sites in 2014. In her current position, she uses her strengths in organization, development and creativity to help equip summer staff and support the Marketing, Mission, and Training & Programming teams. When she’s not at the office, you can usually find her in the kitchen trying out new recipes on friends or connecting with her community in South Minneapolis.