A NOTE FROM CHRISTINE AND LISA
Welcome to the OBS
Hi friend,
For more than a thousand years, a special time has been set apart in the church calendar that invites us to pause, to prepare, and to anticipate the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. This season of Advent gives us the time and opportunity to prayerfully reflect on the wonder of Christ's glorious entrance into this world.
I (Chris) was raised in Australia and grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church.
For us, December was the kickoff of summer. I heard stories and watched movies of people enjoying white, snowy Christmases; meanwhile, we were enjoying the white sands of the beach. My mom celebrated Advent by preparing different foods, and I'd anxiously count down the days to Christmas with an Advent calendar loaded with chocolate.
Because I (Lisa) spent my childhood in central Florida, I was used to warm winters. However, after relocating to Tennessee, I quickly fell in love with a snowy holiday season accompanied by crackling fires and hot cocoa the way Nat King Cole used to croon about. But while Australia and Florida's weather is relatively similar, Chris and I had very different pre-Christmas experiences, because my sweet, Jesus-loving mom didn't associate Advent with being Protestant. Therefore, it took me a long time to understand that Advent is for everybody, y'all!
Yet what we've both discovered is that, more than just a countdown to Jesus' birthday, this is a season to reflect on Jesus' miraculous birth and the anticipation of His return.
And it's a call to attentiveness, an opportunity to prepare the way for the Lord, that begins in our own hearts. It's a time when the air is thick with the expectation of the dawn of a new day—and we all need that!
As we embark on this journey of Advent together, may you find your hope renewed through the promise of Emmanuel, "God with us." And may you rediscover the love of Christ being born anew in your heart.
- Chris & Lisa
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