Pastors are always busy, especially during holy day seasons. Yet, however busy we are, we can always take some slot time, brief moments in between other scheduled events, to nurture our own spirit. The problem, of course, is remembering to fill in that slot with something that can nurture our spirit. The
Advent season will begin soon. Advent is a time of preparation and expectation for celebrating the birth of Christ and anticipation of the coming of Christ.
In that first week, I would suggest that you make use of either an alarm on your watch or phone. Choose a time, perhaps either early or late in the day when you are likely to have a moment of control over your time. Set your alarm for that time each day for the five work days, not counting Sunday. The first time it goes off, read the Epistle lesson for the first Sunday in Advent, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. Each of the lessons that week focus on the effect of the end time on your life.
In this lesson, the promise is that Christ will be revealed to you in a way that will strengthen you from now to the end. After reading the lesson, pause and jot down two or three ways that sensing the real presence of Christ in a more powerful way this season might strengthen you in your ministry and your life. For the sake of making it concrete, allow yourself to imagine having an experience that left no doubt in your mind that Christ is calling you to this specific ministry where you are and providing you the specific gifts that you need to strengthen you in light of all the challenges you face.
Risk praying that such an expectation might be real for you. Then repeat this experience each of your five days. As you jot down each day those ways that your life and ministry will be changed, they may deepen and your prayers may deepen as well.
