Preparing our hearts

Advent: Preparing Our Hearts to Receive the Lord Jesus

Meaning
“Advent” is derived from the Latin word meaning “coming,” i.e. preparing our hearts to
celebrate the coming of Jesus, God in human form, to save us from our sins.

Origin
In the fifth century, there were six Sundays of preparation in Gaul (France) and five Sundays of
preparation in Spain and most of Italy. Eventually, the church at Rome reduced the five Sundays
to four Sundays and this became the accepted norm.
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest (whether before or after) to Nov. 30 (Saint Andrew’s
Day).

“Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may
teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths” (Scripture sentence for Advent)

A Prayer That We Might Have a Pure Heart as We Wait for the Savior in Advent
Most gracious Lord, by whose direction this time is appointed to remind us of your infinite
mercy to us in the incarnation of your only Son; grant that we may live in this holy time in the
spirit of thanksgiving, and every day raise up our hearts to you, gratefully acknowledging what
you have done for us.

Besides this, we ask your grace, O God, that we may make right use of this holy time, preparing
our souls to receive Christ our Lord coming into the world at Christmas.
Christ came into the world to do good to all. Grant, O God, that we may thus prepare to meet
him. Grant that we may be watchful at this time above all others, in avoiding everything that
can be hurtful to our neighbor, whether in afflicting him, or offending him, or drawing him into
sin, or casting any blemish on his reputation; but in all things, O God, may we follow the spirit of
love, being quick to bring comfort and relief to all, as far as their circumstances require and
ours permit.
Grant, O Lord, that thus we may prepare to meet our Redeemer.

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

 He was manifested in the flesh,
 vindicated by the Spirit,

 seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
 believed on in the world,

 taken up in glory. (1 Tim. 3:16)