Advent Illustrated: Day 2 "Light" and What is Advent?

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a bit behind in my Advent Illustrated Challenge. I came down with a bad stomach flu and it set me back a few days. 
But, as I my Mother always says..."There's worse things!" Ooops, I meant to share my favorite, "Better late than never!" he, he!!!!

The verse for Day 2 was:

 Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

The focus word was "LIGHT". So....I used a photo that I took one day of the sun peaking out from some clouds. I printed it out on vellum paper and cut it into a circle to resemble our earth.  I used various stickers and illustrated the words, "God is the Light of the World", after reading this chapter, this is how I applied the word "Light"  to the bible verses. 

So you may be asking..."What is Advent?"

I wondered the same thing before beginning this challenge.

I found a wonderful explanation here:

Christianity.com

What Is Advent?                              

For many Christians unfamiliar with the liturgical year, there may be some confusion surrounding the meaning of the Advent season. Some people may know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent.

he History of Advent                                 

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4^th and 5^th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

By the 6^th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.

Advent Today                                   

Today, the Advent season lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. At that time, the new Christian year begins with the twelve-day celebration of Christmastide, which lasts from Christmas Eve until Epiphany on January 6. (Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27th and December 3rd each year.) 

Advent symbolizes the present situation of the church in these “last days” (Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2), as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis they called for God once again to act for them. In the same way, the church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people. In this light, the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” perfectly represents the church’s cry during the Advent season:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

Have a wonderful Monday!!!

Advent Illustrated-Day 1 Grace Day

Good evening. I am a bit behind in sharing my Advent Illustrated Challenge. It started last Sunday, Nov. 29th, which was a Grace Day. I used that to journal a verse I came upon while watching a Pastor preach on You Tube. I apologize for not remembering his name...I just sorta came upon him. But it was a good thing because I've often wondered if our pets go to heaven, most will say "No, there's no mention of it in the Bible." But I heard this verse, while this Pastor preached. He even had it printed on his sweatshirt. It was:

Psalm 36:6

"Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals."

Not sure what you believe, but for me, it gives me great comfort in knowing that I might just be reunited with my best friend, Holly, whom I lost tragically September 2013. 

and Cash, our buddy, whom we lost July 31, 2014 to cancer. 

For more information on the 

Advent Illustrated Challenge there is a Facebook group lead by the author of this book:

It is also available at Amazon.com...that's where I got my copy.

And you can read about it here: Advent Illustrated Challenge by Sara Laughed

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

I'll be sharing Days 2 and 3 tomorrow.