Demonstrate love during Advent

Today, on the traditional Christian calendar, is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a Latin term used to describe the coming of Christ. Some, but not all, Christian churches and families will light a candle over the next four Sundays, and some light one on Christmas Eve, to celebrate and anticipate the coming of Christ.

Each candle serves as a reminder and challenges the direction of our thoughts, prayers and actions toward love, joy, hope, peace and Christ.

I would like to suggest three ways to demonstrate love this Christmas season.

Give

We associate giving with all that accompanies gathering and receiving gifts -- including new debt that many accrue in purchasing gifts that by Jan. 1 are frequently ignored. Giving can be more than monetary.

Giving can be time. There are those in your life who would love to have your undivided attention. Time without texting, posting to social media or recording moments that we used to just live. In our modern day rush, the gift of undivided time and attention can be refreshing both to you and the one you give yourself to.

Go

Go to church. Go to your neighbors' house. Go to the Christmas parade. Go, not to make a scene or fulfill an obligation, go to build a memory. Go to create an experience. Go and stare at the Christmas window display. Go and see the nativity scene that you have looked at year after year. Go and burn your tongue on a hot cup of overpriced cocoa. Go.

Greet

The reason so many of our Christmas images are filled with images of carolers dressed in old English costumes is because we like the notion of going door-to-door caroling. The idea of greeting and being greeted can warm the hearts of the grumpiest of Scrooges.

We who are created in the image of God, who exist in the community of the trinity, have a longing to be in community ourselves. To greet and be greeted. Take time to greet your neighbors. To stand at the door of your church and greet those coming in. Greet the stranger in the coffee shop.

Christmas is full of family gatherings, parties at work, parades and so many other festivities; they can easily cause these days to slip by.

Intentionally giving, going and greeting can combat the busyness and create a venue to feel the growing love of Christ this Christmas.