165: What Is Advent & How to Celebrate It with Your Family

Ever wondered what is Advent beyond just lighting candles or opening little doors on a calendar? Advent is about arrival and anticipation—a sacred season that prepares our hearts to celebrate Christ's first coming while also anticipating His second coming.In this episode, we're exploring the rich history of Advent from the 5th-6th centuries and practical ways to make space for Christ in your family this season. Let’s face it …the real crisis isn't a busy December—it's a Christ-less Christmas.In this episode:✅What is Advent and how you can celebrate as a family✅Why the first 2 weeks focus on reflection while the last 2 focus on celebration✅How to prepare room in your heart, schedule, and family for Jesus (not just more activities)✅Why hope in Jesus is confident expectation, not just wishful thinking✅Practical ways to anticipate Christ's coming like you'd prepare for honored house guests✅Beautiful traditions using Advent candles, scripture readings, and family devotionsReady to make Advent meaningful? Use the Advent resources below to help your family prepare room for Jesus!Recommended ResourcesChristmas Celebrations Bundle (SAVE $10 with code: DEC10 )Advent Tool Kit (SAVE $10 with code: DEC10 )Star of Bethtlehem ebookChristmas Celebrations ebookChristmas Around the World ebookJotham’s JourneyO Come, O Come EmmanuelShow Notes:What Is Advent?Advent means arrival and anticipation. We're going to talk more about this in Tuesday's class, but I want to give you some background.Back in the 5th-6th centuries, the church celebrated Advent in a specific way. The first two weeks of Advent, the church would reflect on the Second Coming. Disciples would chasten their hearts, confess sins, and spend time hoping for the quick coming of the Lord. It was a time of reflection and fasting.The last two weeks of Advent would then transition to focus on the first coming—Christ in the manger. This was a time of feasting.Advent and Christmas are never held as a full re-enactment of the life of Christ but point to our place between the Resurrection and Second Coming.How Do You Walk Through Advent?I'm going to share ideas over the four weeks of Advent, but today I want to talk about making space for Christ.There's a book called "Make Space for Christ" by Susan Narjala, and the concept comes from that line in the Christmas carol: "Let every heart prepare Him room." But how do we actually do that?The Crisis of a Christ-Less ChristmasWe face a crisis of a Christ-less Christmas. We forget the guest of honor—Jesus. We get so wrapped up in gifts, we forget to unwrap the greatest gift of all.The antithesis of fearing God isn't offending Him or denying Him or omitting Him. It's forgetting God. Luke 3:4-6 talks about preparing the way of the Lord.Anticipation Is KeyThink about how you prepare for house guests. It takes time, right? So does preparing for or anticipating the feast of Christmas.You clean the house, you clean the bedrooms. You make sure your guests will be comfortable. You get rid of unnecessary items in the guest room. You declutter. In the same way, we need to confess sin and make room in our hearts.Psalm 27 says, "One thing I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to meditate..." Sometimes you need to rearrange the room if necessary—get rid of toys, add water bottles, clean towels. Rethink, rearrange, and refocus so Christ has room in your family.We're anticipating the second coming of Christ as well. Growing up, we would read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. Now I do Advent candles each week along with Advent Bible reading or Jotham's Journey.When you greet and treat guests with love, it's not because you have to. You get to. You want to.Is There Room for Jesus?Is there room in your heart for Jesus? Is there room in your schedule for Jesus? Is there room in your family for Jesus?We need to re-prioritize. We need to respond in AWE to God's amazing love. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God."Hope: The First Candle in AdventIn America, we use the word "hope" to mean "wish." But in Jesus, hope means expecting Him—confident expectation. It's not just a wish that God is here or that Jesus saves. It's confident expectation.Think about the line from O Holy Night that you could use for copywork, dictation, or a short discussion about "thrill of hope":O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining It is the night of the dear Savior's birth! Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!We're still waiting for His coming again—the second coming. We're still weary from the world, from personal issues.Isaiah 40:31 talks about waiting on the Lord. Think about O Come Emmanuel—Israel hoped and waited 400 years. You can find more about this at howtohomeschoolmychild.com/o-come-o-come-emmanuel.Waiting on GodWe wait on God. I have a family devotion story about this. I'm still waiting on God to move in Steve's life.Kid-Friendly IdeasYou can make this kid-friendly using fabric or plastic figures. At Faith Passages, we actually acted it out with the kids.Ready to make Advent meaningful in your home? Download the free Advent resources and O Come Emmanuel study at HowToHomeschoolMyChild.com/o-come-o-come-emmanuel to help your family prepare room for Jesus. Learn practical ways to celebrate hope, peace, joy, and love while pointing your children to both Christ's first coming and His return!