Come, O Long-Expected Jesus

Happy New Year, Christian friends, for Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical church year! 

Christians have reason to lament how Christmas has been taken hostage by secular culture, downgrading it's importance to feeling "holly and jolly" while (usually) mom is running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Christmas is celebrated by many who never intend to include Christ in their celebration. It's simply an occasion to put up with the in-laws, give and get gifts, bake cookies, and enjoy another turkey dinner. 

And because we Christians live and rub shoulders with our culture, it's all too easy for me to get sucked into this too.  Enter Advent: Advent keeps my course and focus on the reason for the season. 

Alas, Advent too seems to have been hi-jacked by our secular culture. It's been downgraded to simply calendars with candy hiding behind the numbered squares. Anticipation certainly runs high with the focus being that Santa is coming and you better be good! Advent seems to have been redefined as any "countdown" to a holiday or event shown in the "Advent" calendars I've seen for Halloween and Valentine's Day. 

While I'm up here on my pedestal getting ready to play a mournful violin tune, let me just say ... There's nothing wrong with candy filled Advent calendars (we enjoy them too!), family turkey dinners (although we personally do seafood for Christmas), and exchanging presents (yay!). It may even be possible to include Santa in your celebrations (though we never have) and manage not to lose track of the fact that God sent His Son to earth as true God and true Man,  - that this baby would be perfect throughout His whole life, teach others about their sins and Savior, and ultimately die on the cross for the sins of the whole world, rising from death in three days and triumphing over sin, death and the devil so that we, His children, might have eternal life in heaven. 

That is the challenge, friends. 

Our church practices the historical tradition of Advent.  The wreath is on display and the candles are lit every Sunday (some churches have midweek services but ours has a Wednesday Bible study) and in our church each Sunday in Advent we focus on the theme for that week - hope, peace, joy, and love. You can see the last sermon on joy here. 

We also try to have daily readings/devotions at home, usually after dinner. We've used Meditations, various books over the years that were age appropriate for our kids, and WELS has one online this year. MLC has a fantastic one on the names of Jesus! There's Counting to Christmas for young elementary school families and a free Family Christmas Devotional at littlehousestudio.net that has the sweetest coloring pages and simple devotions for the littlest ones. 

I read this one a few years ago. You might recall I did a book club here and the author even piped in every now and then! I'm reading this one again and man, is it good!!! It is incredibly well written, insightful, and Biblically rich in content. 

There's a popular trend among some of our WELS churches in hosting an Advent by Candlelight. These are wonderful! Usually this is a women only event done with seasonally decorated tables, candles, sweets and treats, and an atmosphere meant not only for members but one that encourages guests to the enjoy the evening. The service portion focuses on a theme always based on the real meaning of Advent and Christmas - acknowledging our need for forgiveness and repentance, and rejoicing in God's plan of salvation through His Son, Jesus! 

I missed last years because I was so sick. Our current church doesn't do them - yet. So I am really missing this event in my Advent preparations. Hopefully next year:)

I know Advent is almost over and Christmas is seriously around the corner. May the remainder of yours be focused on Jesus' coming ... as a baby 2000 years ago, in His Word and Sacrament where He continues to feed and nourish our faith, and His second coming when we won't have to wait anymore to enjoy all the benefits of our inheritance rightly ours through faith in Jesus!

Come, O long expected Jesus, born to set your people free!

From our sins and fears release us By your death on Calvary.

Israel's Strength and Consolation, Hope to all the earth impart

Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

CW6

Thanksgiving 2018

Now that Christmas is next week - how did that happen - I will go back in time to share our Thanksgiving. Not to be confused with Canadian Thanksgiving that we celebrated in October, this is American Thanksgiving that offers us another opportunity to be super thankful and eat a lot of turkey and pie. 

The three of us flew up to MSP, rented a car, and drove to the northwoods of Wisconsin where my parents live. We hadn't seen Will since we dropped him off in August and we were looking forward to reuniting there for the week! We could tell he beat us there because of the tell tale donut marks in the snow on the circular drive leading up to Mom and Dad's place. I refused to believe my son would do such a thing even though his father seemed at peace with it. But once asked about the aforementioned skid marks, dear son gave a sheepish look that confirmed his father knew him better than his mother, who apparently lives in denial. 

airport selfie

To prepare for this trip I had to storm the attic and find the Rubbermaid container with our winter gear. I also had the opportunity to wear my sweaters, corduroy pants and turtlenecks that are collecting dust in my closet. That's because it looked like this:

Beautiful, yes? With that comes cold. We definitely got our snow and cold fix. I'm good now. 

If you've ever read my other posts about Thanksgiving, you basically know where this is going - our celebrations included Grandma's apple pie, the official first viewing of A Muppet Christmas Carol , games of hand and foot, bottles of 14 Hands, Friday night fish fry, Black Friday in Rhinelander, and bowling on Saturday. This year we added a pecan pie made from the pecans off our tree, watching the movies Holiday Inn  and Christmas in
Connecticut, Mom's broken ankle that encouraged her to order a turkey dinner from the local grocery store, and a plane ride instead of our previous car rides. 

Yes, Mom broke her ankle (again) the week before Thanksgiving. This was upsetting on several different levels. It was her right ankle again and would keep her from driving. It was also hunting season and while Dad was willing to sacrifice his favorite time of year, Mom was not willing to be the reason. Our family would be descending on the house for Thanksgiving and her hostess duties would be seriously challenged. On top of all of that, they were scheduled to leave for Germany right after the holiday weekend to visit brother Reid and family and to attend some of Germany's Christmas markets. 

It all worked out and for all of that was more reason to be thankful! Dad got to go hunting and had a successful season. Mom ordered the grocery store meal but Zanna and I still did green bean casserole and my pecan pie. The dinner ended up being so tasty that we've really started to question why we haven't done this before!! It may be a new tradition ... And Mom and Dad made it to Germany and back although I have yet to talk with them and get the details on how it went. 

It was wonderful to see Will again and I always breathe a sigh of relief and thankfulness when my little family of four is all under the same roof again, safe and sound. Will is enjoying Martin Luther College and has been recently juggling a job at a dairy farm just outside of New Ulm. He's thrilled to be driving and have his own car! He's home now for Christmas holidays and is already enjoying the break. 

It was also wonderful to share another Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa. They're in their nineties now and I'm just soaking up every bit of time I get with them. It's humbling grace that allows our four generations to celebrate together, commune and worship side by side, and continue to laugh and love each other. Thank you, Jesus! 

Another blessing has been moving closer to family. Wayne's brother, Brent, and his family are in nearby Dallas/Ft Worth area. They have been extremely gracious in hosting us overnight for reasons that bring us into the city but in not enough time to drive home. Brent's made our airport runs and has met us for the occasional lunch date. The cousins get to see each other more often after all these years! We are grateful to reconnect with our family now that there are two "Texas Halldorsons". 

Advent and Christmas has seriously snuck up on me mainly because I keep waiting for it to get cold and/or snow. We have been enjoying some really beautiful weather and still can't get over not needing a coat some days. We're working on the yard in December and are going for walks without needing mufflers and boots. My brain has been tricked and I'm learning I need to look at the calendar and not base my planning on the weather. Everything continues to be new and different and a learning process!  

Exploring our Neck of the Woods

What's the difference between a Texan armadillo and a regular armadillo? The Texan has a gun holstered around his waste ... duh! 

Turns out we don't have to venture all the way to San Antonio to see the Alamo. We've got our own version in these here parts!!! So check that off the to-do list;)

Sure it's a little smaller and not it at all but ..... it has it's own charm to it, don't you think?
They hosted a community event with a chili cook-off for lunch and some red neck games for the kiddos. 

I joke but really it was a beautiful day and a fun way to meet some locals. Things are just a bit more laid back around here and there's something to be said for that!

My parents came for a visit in November. We enjoyed showing them around and introducing them at church. Mom did a presentation for her Comforter Ministry  there on Sunday and our sewers really took an interest! 

Mom, Z, and I headed down to Canton for the First Monday Trade Days which is truly a Texas sized flea market!! It was crazy and we only saw a part of it but it was lots of fun and I look forward to going back.

We all took a day trip over to Jefferson, TX on the Bayou. We took a trolley tour of the city and walked the downtown, dropping in on the stores and eating ice cream for lunch! 

We opted out of the gator feedings, btw.
We also showed them nearby Mt Pleasant, shopped the antique stores in Winnsboro, and cheered Z on at her basketball game! 

We are looking forward to venturing a little farther out from East Texas and exploring other parts of the state when we can get away for a little longer. Any suggestions?