Hey friends! We hope everyone is having a great and safe December. Is anyone else as excited for Christmas as we are? We love getting to decorate, put up lights, find thoughtful gifts for our nieces and nephews, and plan our family meals for Christmas. It always seems like there is so much to do to prepare for that day to come. Can you imagine what would happen if we didn't prepare early for Christmas day?! We would be so busy trying to catch up that, honestly, we would miss all the fun of that moment. We can't sit idle; we can't just hope 2-day prime comes through because yall know it's sometimes 3-day prime! We have to look ahead and prepare for our responsibilities.

During Advent, it's pretty similar. Advent is a period of spiritual preparation in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Celebrating Advent typically involves a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope, and joy. When you prepare for your celebrations, there is work that goes into it, and then SO MUCH JOY! Just as you do for Christmas Day, we have to do things with the end in mind, as Pastor Dre reminded us. We can't lay around, uninterested, without considering what's coming. Christ is coming! It's our duty to wait well, as we talked about last week. As we wait, it's not about waiting for an event in our life, but for Christ. Don't get caught slippin. Don't let Him come and catch you with an empty cup. So, its time to put bows on our gifts and lay out your favorite outfit...the time has come. Are you ready?
This week, we invite you to fill your cup. Take time to pray, to heal, to worship, to repent, in anticipation of the Joy that Christ has for us. It's time to prepare. We wish for peace in your life and an advent season filled with hope and revelation.
Love you all!
Jesse and Marissa