Advent is about....

Advent is not about shopping, 
stressing, planning or buying


Advent is about expecting,
waiting, hoping and praying


And if you're sick of Christmas by 25th December
You haven't done Advent properly.


Sadly not my words but from a great video our Pastor showed us as we lit the Hope candle.
(And it is a little bit possible that I'm using a video rather than writing because I'm busy shopping, stressing and so forth but I still have hope...)


Enjoy...

linking with Hear it, Use it.

The trivial round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to ask...

New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.

New mercies, each returning day,
hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

If on our daily course our mind
be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.

Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be,
as more of heaven in each we see;
some softening gleam of love and prayer
shall dawn on every cross and care.

The trivial round, the common task,
will furnish all we ought to ask:
room to deny ourselves; a road
to bring us daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love,
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray

 Words: John Keble, 1822

We had a guest preacher, an older Pastor who led us in this lovely old hymn. I was struck by the lines "The trivial round, the common task,will furnish all we ought to ask". I hadn't thought about my chores as a way to deny myself...
The lesson was Luke 9 and in particular  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" and the lovely hymn a reminder that each day we continue our Christian walk.
Based partly on the scripture 
² Yet this I call to mind 

   and therefore I have hope:

 ² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
² They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness. from Lamentations 3 21-23

I pray that I may wake every morning with that awareness of heaven in everything and everyone, and my mind set to hallow everything I find. I love every verse of this hymn... what a great reminder of how to deny self, take up your cross and follow Him.

linking up with Michelle at hear it, use it and this week I'm really planning to use it!