Wake Up Dead Man

Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way it's all gonna be

It's Advent. I've been thinking about it in a new light, more like second advent than anything related to Christmas. Maybe it's the Heaven book, or maybe (likely) I've never really paid attention to the "being watchful" part of this first week. Maybe it's because I've never officially celebrated Advent, a sad thing... being ignorant for the most part of the historical significant Church calendar. I visited a little Lutheran church down the road for a Wednesday night service this week, and then to a local college with a kicking gospel choir, and then read this little snippet which tied them all together for me. Somehow, God will be praised through our paltry efforts, whether we're into it or not, whether we mean the words we sing or recite or pray, God will have the glory despite our sin. I am finding that very comforting.
Here is the quote from the little Lutheran Advent booklet:

What God has done for us in Christ is what motivates all our preparations during this Advent Season... The preparation we make as Christians does not mean that we have to remove ourselves from the world. It doesn't mean that we hold back from caring and sharing and sacrificing, however small it may be, our investment of ourselves in others—these are all acts of preparation. The preparation we make as Christians means that we live with Christian certainty—certainty of the one thing that matters, and that is this: the Christ who came once for mankind's salvation is the Christ who seeks every day to invade the lives of people, to fill us with Himself, to speak His forgiveness for our sins, to demonstrate the love that makes our loving possible, to give us strength and courage, joy and gladness. The fact that we have salvation, not only beyond the grave, but now, today, is what moves us to rejoice.

Here's a little Episcopal online Advent calendar too, complete with devotions and carols. I'm up for anything that turns my thoughts towards our Christ's coming (first or second times) and off another trip to the mall.