We have entered into Advent, the time marked off in the Christian calendar when we pay attention to the miracle of the incarnation.

Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means coming or visit. Advent means that God has come to us in the person of Jesus. And that is not all, for the first advent anticipates the second advent to come. Jesus has come and is coming. If hope has a history, it also has a future.

But let us not move too fast. Before the coming there is the waiting. Waiting is inherent to the Christian story, just as it is deeply at the core of human experience. The point is to learn how to do this well, to wait with hope. This is God’s story to tell and to complete.

Discussion Notes
Part 1 – Luke 1 – Zechariah and Elizabeth
Part 2 – Luke 2 – Shepherds
Part 3 – Matthew 1 – Joseph
Part 4 - Luke 1 - Mary