Advent- More Like Mary Style

Just like every Advent, I want this one to be different. Every year I tell myself that I'm going to really celebrate Christ's birth in a way that will unite me to Him and make me a better Christian. So far, my record is far from impressive.

It's just so dang easy to get caught up with Christmas and completely lose sight of the preparation for Christmas.  Not that purchasing gifts, decorating trees, and baking cookies are bad. Those are all wonderful things. But if those thing cause me to lose sight of what this season is really about, then I've completely missed the point of Christmas.

I'm trying a different approach this year. None of my past approaches seem to have worked-so it can't hurt! This year, I will be focusing on Advent from Mary's perspective.

It's true that Christmas has everything to do with Jesus, the Christ child born in a manger in Bethlehem. My goal for this Advent, and every Advent, is to become closer to Him, honor His wondrous birth, and spread His love with those around me. There is one person, however, who I know can help me with this better than any other.

Mary is the central character is the story leading up to Christmas. She experienced the nativity in a way that no other human can ever experience. Getting to know Mary better this Advent will, no doubt, bring me closer to understanding the mystery of her Son.

One example that helps me to understand this phenomenon is what takes place when I get to know my friends' parents. I grew up in a very small town and went to school with the same 40 classmates for 13 years. I knew them inside and out. I knew their siblings, their dogs, their parents, and even their grandparents. I didn't realize how much this influenced my ability to really know my friends.

When I went off to college I made new friends. I had a bigger pool of people to choose from than the 40 kids in my class and I found friends whom I really clicked with. Our bonds grew stronger and stronger and these new friends quickly became the rocks I depended on to help me navigate my faith. I remember thinking it was odd, however, that I didn't know them outside of college. It was like something was holding me back from truly understanding these new friends, even though I was closer to them than I had ever been to previous friends. It hit me-I didn't know their parents.

One by one I met the parents of my college friends and one by one I started to understand them a little better. I suddenly understood where Lauren got her sense of humor and Jessie got her generosity. I understood where Lindsey got her tenacity and Jolyn got her quirky endearing qualities.  Meeting Ashley's parents helped me to understand her in a way that would never have been possible had I not had that opportunity.  All because I met the men and women who raised these beautiful souls. I better understood my friends, how to relate to them, what made them tick, because I knew their parents.

I think it's the same with Mary. From my experience, many Protestant Christians are worried that a relationship with Mary would somehow overshadow a relationship with Jesus. But when I met and really got to know the parents of my closest friends, our friendships only grew closer. Sadly, Mary's critical role in salvation history is glossed over out of fear that she'll somehow take away from our ability to grow closer to Jesus. But which of my friends would have wanted to keep me from getting to know their parents in an effort to maintain our close friendship? Not a one. And Jesus doesn't either.

So, for this Advent, I'm getting to know Mary. I'm going to let her lead me through the preparations for her Son. I'm going to let her guide me into a deeper relationship with Him. And if I allow myself to hear her message, to see the nativity through her eyes, and to prepare for His coming with her heart, then I will celebrate Christmas morning with a new and profound relationship with her infant Son.