Once again, the season of Christmas is upon us. I don't know about you, but it came rather quickly for me. It's as if we did not have time to prepare, and yet that is exactly what the season of Advent is all about – preparation.

While serving as a pastor of a local congregation, I was reminded over and over again of the importance of experiencing and living into the seasons of preparation prior to our holiest of holy days, Christmas and Easter.

Advent gives us an opportunity to get ready, anticipate and prepare for the coming of the Christ child in our midst. This may mean we need to make some changes in our personal and spiritual lives to get ready for this important event. There is no celebration without preparation and anticipation.

Before our daughter Letitia was born on Dec. 30, 1989, Leslie and I had to make some changes to prepare for her coming. The room that we used as a catch-all had to be cleared to make room for the new addition in our lives. You need to know that we had already raised five children, and we believed our season for child-rearing was over. In fact, we had just celebrated the birth of a grandson a few months earlier. We were older and had become settled in our ways. All of a sudden, we got the news that a baby was coming, and our entire life changed.

At first, all we thought about was returning to sleepless nights, changing diapers, Parent-Teacher Association meetings, etc. But then an amazing revelation occurred. We began to thank God for this wonderful gift. We prayed for good health and growth. And we started making changes once again in preparation for a new life in our midst.

So it is with the season of Christmas. Although commercialization and consumer ads have cluttered our airways and lives, we are reminded of the real reason for the season of Christmas — the recognition and celebration of the Christ child coming into our lives to offer hope, peace, love and joy.

May the spirit of Christmas that brought forth the messiah and savior of the world bless and reinvigorate your hearts and minds to go forth and make a difference.

Merry Christmas!