Advent is the time where we, as God's people, prepare for and anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ. At Christmas we celebrate the 1st Advent and we prepare for, anticipate, and celebrate the FACT that there will be a 2nd Advent.

Advent begins with hope...the sure and confident expectation in God's faithfulness and presence. When our hope is firmly grounded in God alone, we experience a peace that is beyond our understanding. That peace clears space within our hearts and our lives for JOY! Joy isn't a feeling. Feelings come and go...JOY is a state of being...always present at the foundation of all of our other feelings. When we HOPE in God, He gives us PEACE, and His PEACE allows us to feel JOY even in the midst of hardship and sorrow because God is the source of all our HOPE and life.