Advent (coming) marks the beginning of the Christian year. It's during this season we are filled with longing, expectation and hope. Advent is a time where we remember our sin and need for a Savior. This season becomes for us a time of discipline and patience. The challenge for the church during advent becomes "resisting the temptation to indulge in the gluttony of impatience. We are faced with a culture (especially in America) where instant gratification and self-indulgence are prevalent. If there is little fasting, hoping, or longing, Christmas's arrival becomes the next day of indulgence rather than a true day of encountering the long-expected One." As we await his"coming" may we be reminded of the hope he brings, the peace he gives, the joy he fills us with, and the love offered to us by a God who makes his presence known through a tiny baby.