Be Not Afraid

Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because perfect love casts out fear...
-1 John 4:18

Happy Advent, friends! Let the waiting begin.
I had to laugh on Sunday when I heard a young person (who was waiting to open their Advent calendar) say, "Advent should be called The Season of Impatience!!" 

I hear that. There is a fine line between anticipation and impatience, isn't there?
Advent is a time of expectation, longing for God to come and bring hope and life. But that sort of patience is hard sometimes, especially when it feels like we could really use some hope. That's why we need each other to keep the faith, to share the longing, and to wait and walk together towards Jesus. 

Every year at LifePath Church, we create a daily Advent Booklet with reflections from people in our community. This year's theme is "Be Not Afraid." 

During December I pause my own weekly writings so that we can focus on these other beautiful perspectives. So, Together for Good will be on our yearly hibernation during Advent. 

If you are a part of our church- don't miss these stories! But if you're simply a Together For Good subscriber and you don't yet have a daily journey for Advent, I'd love to invite you to read with us as well. 
Here's the link to the digital version.

Below is an excerpt from my introduction to this year's booklet: 

Fear is rampant today. Moment by moment our lives are impacted by the urge to fight, take flight, freeze, or fawn. There is so much beyond our control, and so much uncertainty. And yet each year we have the audacity to tell a story that speaks of hope…of peace…of joy… and of love. 

The world Jesus inhabited was not one devoid of fear either. It seems that there is a reason that the most repeated command of God and the most repeated promise are connected: Don’t be afraid; I am with you.

The time of Advent is a time of preparation to receive Jesus once again into the world. That means it’s a perfect time to be honest about our fears, and yet choose to walk through them with the hope of Jesus. And even if those fears don’t magically disappear, we believe that there’s power in speaking the hope that we want to hold onto. So these little writings from the LifePath community are intended to do that. They’ll help us reflect. They’ll ignite fresh wonder. They'll inspire us to be honest about fear and willing to practice hope. They reflect different views, younger and older perspectives, all born from honest wrestling with Jesus. Some are unresolved. Some will not fit your boxes. That’s fine. Real faith is gritty and honest and humble and in process. But it’s always good. 
Join us.

May Jesus draw you into a meaningful season of anticipation and hope. We'll be back in your inbox in January. 

Peace,
Keith 

*Additional Recommendation: 
If you're a podcast listener, I would also love to recommend Sacred Seasons, a beautifully made, ten-minute podcast that Jesus Collective, our network of churches, has produced for Advent. A new episode will be released daily.

---