Advent: God is Doing a New Thing

In my former life as an evangelical/charismatic Christian, we frequently heard this remark; "God is doing a new thing and man you should be a part of it!" It was often said by itinerant preachers, retreat speakers and our own local prophets in our congregation.

  Well, I really do believe God can  still do a new thing in our lives anytime He wants to but there are certain seasons that the Church gives us to allow God to do just that.  The Church tells us that the advent season is the time for new beginnings. 2000 years ago God sent His son to the world to take flesh being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary and redeem mankind from sin and slavery.  That was a "new thing" then and the world has never been the same since. Advent marks the end of the Church year and begins a time to prepare for Christ's coming in three specific ways: (from the Catholic Encyclopedia)

•  to prepare themselves ourselves to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love,
•  thus to make our souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, 
• and thereby to make ourselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

There is a huge potential to allow God's grace to do all kinds of new things in our life as we allow ourselves to be open to God's grace in each of those three ways above. Advent was often celebrated by periods of fasting much the way Lent is practiced. How counter cultural is our faith! When the world encourages us to use the "holiday season" to be excessive in consuming/spending/drinking/eating, the Church says "take this time for every heart to prepare Him room."  Let us allow God to do a "new thing" in our hearts this Advent as we prepare for his coming....... so we too will never be the same.