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 Advent 
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Post Advent
This the first time in my life I encounter this term - noticed it mentioned in a few spots on the net.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent

I suppose I have never heard of this - as I am not a church goer at all - I practice my own brand of faith and my church is best described as a healthy experience with nature (like in my forest here on my farm.)

Well - go figure....

Personally - I do not consider Christmas with any seriousness. There is zero proof that that was the birth date of Christ.

The only thing we take serious is the avoidance of the shopping rush.

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Sun Dec 01, 2013 11:42 pm
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Post Re: Advent
I don't think there are many people who actually think that Dec. 25 was the actual birth of Jesus, in fact there is strong evidence to the contrary. The date was chosen, as other dates in the liturgical calendar, to attempt to change the emphasis from that of one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near the southern solstice. They were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus. Christmas is a commemoration of the event of Jesus' birth and its meaning to Christians, not a specific notice of the date of his birth, just as we have changed many of the dates of our holidays for our convenience.

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Mon Dec 02, 2013 8:29 am
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Post Re: Advent
Sky - you sound just like East Texas! :crylaugh

He'd never heard of Advent either even though he converted to Catholicism prior to his marriage to his first wife.

I celebrate Advent (he doesn't even notice) because I find it takes my mind off the commercial and helps me to prepare for the celebration of Christ's Mass. I don't light the candles on the Advent wreath or anything like that. I do, however, prepare special Sunday dinners during the Season of Advent. I try to make sure we have things like Shepherd's Pie, Mincemeat tarts with stars on top, a buche de noel; and a flaming English Christmas pudding.

Advent is meant to help you long for the return of the Messiah. Each Sunday is special and each Sunday brings a different aspect to the wait for the birth.

I agree completely with what Ruts says above. It doesn't matter one whit to me because I believe this so called "pagan" holiday provides an opportunity to discuss Jesus, his Ministry, his Mission and who He really is with the World.

I also celebrate Christmas from December 24 to January 6. This is the real Christmas not the false one driven by corporate America. Big business has to pay tax on goods on their shelves on January 1 thus the change of Christmas to December 1 to December 25.

My dear son-in-law has turned his whole family from celebrating Christmas over the last three or so years. They only celebrate Hanukkah and the other feasts. Sadly, what they really celebrate is Chrismakuh. It is a full blown Christmas celebration over 8 nights with TONS of presents so the kids don't complain too much. He and my step daughter even changed the date of Hanukkah this year because my oldest granddaughter (age 10) would not understand celebrating at Hanukkah at Thanksgiving and hates not being able to celebrate Christmas.

It hurts my heart...

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Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:46 pm
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Post Re: Advent
What Are We Waiting For?

by Joe Kay 12-02-2013 | 9:00am

Much of our imagery of Advent is tied into the idea of waiting. Waiting for Emmanuel to come. Waiting for God to intervene. We’re in the middle of the night waiting for dawn to arrive. We’re waiting for something different to happen. One image is the pregnant woman waiting to give birth, which ties into the nativity story.

If all we do is sit and wait for God, we’re like people trapped in a perpetual Advent Bine/Shutterstock

We spend a lot of our lives waiting for various things. Maybe the question for Advent is: What are we waiting for? And when does the waiting end?

So much of our religion has become about waiting. Waiting for heaven. Waiting for God to respond to a prayer and to change something. Waiting for God to right the wrongs. Waiting for God to set things straight. Waiting and waiting and waiting.

What if we’ve got it backward? What if someone is waiting for us?

Soon we’ll celebrate the birthday of Jesus, who was passionate about the here and now. Give food and drink to whoever is hungry and thirsty today. Go and visit those who are imprisoned at this moment. Stop and help the person bleeding by the side of the road right now. Heal the person rather than waiting another day until the Sabbath is over to help them. Do this no matter what the cost.

Don’t wait. Do it now.

In his book The Power of Parable, John Dominic Crossan points out that Jesus was about what we do in the moment: “You have been waiting for God, he said, while God has been waiting for you. No wonder nothing is happening. You want God’s intervention, he said, while God wants your collaboration. God’s kingdom is here, but only insofar as you accept it, enter it, live it, and thereby establish it.”

God is waiting for us. God is at work right now. Are we ready to join in?

Is Advent about passive waiting, or about something more?

One common religious image is a feast that draws many people together. Many of us have just celebrated Thanksgiving by sharing a large meal with people who are important to us. We got up early, prepared the turkey and put it in the oven, then waited for it to get done. But our waiting was very busy. We had to peel and cook the potatoes, prepare the vegetables, clean the house, get the table set and ready for our guests. We don’t just sit there and stare at the turkey while it baked. If we do that, we won’t have much of a feast at all.

There’s so much to be done right now — needy people to be helped, hurting people to be healed, conflicts to be calmed, societies to be changed, hatred to be transformed into love.

What are we waiting for?

If all we do is sit and wait on God, we’re like people trapped in a perpetual Advent. We never do what God is all about. We never put ourselves in the moment.

We never get to Christmas morning.

http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/12/02/what-are-we-waiting

:mrgreen:

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The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. - FDR


Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:27 am
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