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Advent asks us to deal with the basics of our relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Do I really believe in Christ? Have I put my hope and trust in him? Do I see the future through the eyes of the one who came to redeem the world from the power of evil? Is there a longing within me for him to be formed within, to take up residence in my personal life, in my home, and in my vocation? These are not easy questions to answer. They require meditation, intention, and above all, a commitment that remains steadfast. But if we would break away from a spiritual life growing cold and a Christ who is becoming distant, we must be attentive to our spiritual discipline and long for God to break in on us with new life. When we do this, we experience the true meaning of Advent spirituality.

Excerpted from Webber, Dr. Robert, Ancient-Future Time; Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, (c) 2004 Robert E. Webber. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality Through the Christian Year is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More Christianity Today articles, available on our Advent page, include:

Advent: Close Encounters of a Liturgical Kind | 'Tis the season when even the free-ranging revivalist pulls up a chair to the table of historic liturgy. (Dec. 03, 2004)

Advent | Quotations to stir the heart and mind from Augustine, Madeleine L'Engle, and Walter Wangerin, Jr. (Dec. 10, 2003)

Word Made Flesh | Quotations to stir heart and mind about the Incarnation. (Dec. 20, 2002)

Christmas Countdown | When does the holiday season really start? (Dec. 07, 2001)

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December (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48