The word ‘advent‘ is derived from the Latin ‘adventus‘, meaning ‘coming‘; the Christian advent is a preparation for the coming of Christ.
For the early church, advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. Roman Christians later tied this season of preparation to the coming of Christ – though the ‘coming’ they had in mind was his second coming, not the first coming of the incarnation which is the main focus of advent celebration today.
This advent season, I’ve been thinking about the idea of preparation. In my own life, this is expressed most obviously in taking time to reflect back on the year, and on what matters most.
Having enjoyed listening to ‘The Sacred’ Podcast in recent times (see here), I’ve asked some friends if they would be kind enough to spend some time reflecting on what they think their most sacred value might be and why.
I hope others will find reading these reflections as much of a joy as I have, and that they may be an aid to people’s own reflections this Christmastime.
Please enjoy!
thejoyofrachel 