The Work of Advent in You

Do you feel a shift in the air?

A quiet hum beneath the noise?

A knocking on the door of your heart that you can’t quite name — but know needs tending?

Advent is the season for that kind of work.

Not frantic holiday scrambling, but soul-work: 

the holy labor of tuning our lives to God’s arrival,

here and now.

In truth, Advent asks three things of us — simple, ancient, and always timely:

Slow down.

Stay awake.

Make room.

Slow down — because grace can’t be rushed. Our spirits need pockets of stillness, a gentler pace, a little breathing room to remember what matters.

Stay awake — because God is nearer than we imagine. Awake to beauty. Awake to neighbor. Awake to the stirrings within us that hint at hope. Advent isn’t about fear of the end — it’s about paying attention to holy beginnings.

Make room — because Christ longs to be born again in us. In our habits, our imagination, our compassion, our courage. In our relationships and in the silent places we seldom visit.

And the miracle is this: none of the work needs to be dramatic.

Sometimes “slow down” is one minute of quiet before the day.

Sometimes “stay awake” is choosing gratitude in a hardened moment.

Sometimes “make room” is an act of mercy, a letting-go, a single step toward hope.

So, as we cross the threshold into this new Church year, may we take up the work of Advent with honesty and wonder.

Slow down.

Stay awake.

Make room.

Christ is coming.

Christ is near.

And with a little tending, our hearts might just be ready.