Do not confirm to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2 (NIV)
I love the Christmas season. It is the time of year that I feel closest to God. The traditions of Advent and Christmas help me focus. I start thinking about the season in September, start planning in November. I like the comfort of the traditions of the Advent Festival, Lessons and Carols, church gatherings, Christmas movies, seasonal hymns, family visits, and Advent devotionals.
This year, 2020, will be different. There is the pandemic. Many events will be cancelled. Some will be moved to a virtual format. Some family members will not be able to travel. Gatherings will require social distancing. Many Advent traditions will have to be changed.
Then there is our house. We started a renovation a month ago which will extend into the new year. By mid-December, the kitchen will be totally dismantled. No baking, no holiday meals, no parties – at least not done the way we always have done them. Holiday decorations will be sparse as furniture is moved to storage and dust coats what is left. The Christmas tree will not be set up in the living room. Many family traditions will have to be changed.
I do not like change. I like the comfort of the status quo, of those things that are predictable and known. Change stresses me, but this year change cannot be avoided. Could God be telling me that my Advent routine is not the only thing that should change? I feel the push already. The push to find new ways to see God and hear his guidance. With less activities, there will be more time to examine what God wants me to do this season. Maybe what the 2020 Advent season should be is a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and to develop new traditions to keep our faith fresh.
This odd season will provide an opportunity to renovate Advent. No, not renovate. To renovate is to restore to a previous state. Jesus’ birth was not intended to restore us to our previous state. It was intended to change us, change the world. If we embrace change this Advent, we can do more than renovate. We can transform the season and ourselves. We can find God in different places than we did last season.
I believe even when things change, but I will change because I believe.
Dear Lord: Thank you for change. Please help the differences I experience, in this non-traditional Advent season lead me to a time of transformation where I look for you in new ways. Let me channel the stress of change into positive actions that glorify You this season. Amen
Susan Lambert
Read other Advent 2020 Devotionals or download the book as a PDF.