Advent Preparation Party

Sunday night, our family missio community, Arbors, had an Advent Preparation Party!

We invited our friends and neighbors to join in the fun as we prepared boxes which will hold Advent Scriptures and activities to do each day as we prepare for Jesus coming.....

I had many favorites during the night. One was watching the different families prepare their boxes. The anticipation of the children was tangible. One neighbor told me that the wait until today was torturous for her 6 year old daughter; she was ready to go after Sunday night.

I stood at the dinner line and watched all the children lined up ready to fill their plates. Different ages, different interests, but all able to get along and befriend one another.

I loved watching one child light our advent candle, just one for the first week of Advent, and the delight of the smallest one blowing it out. It was a gift to hear how one child described understanding that Jesus himself is the gift of Christmas.

I listened to one woman who described the difference between "going to church" and our community. She saw and experienced the difference of watching families be together, making spiritual memories and of participating in the learning, rather than being spectators in it from a pew.

All in all, it was a gift to me. To experience the growing love and friendship we have with one another, as well as the open door to invite others to join in and experience God's love, our friendship and the opportunity to love and serve the world together!