Ransoming Advent: Rediscovering The Hidden Gifts Of The Season

Advent has always been a bit of a desert experience for me. And it’s beginning to dawn on me that that’s what this season is supposed to be.

In spite of the fact that the liturgical season has been practically hijacked by the secular culture and its demands for lights, decorations, and shopping starting on Black Friday, Christmas was never meant to land in our laps like a fat turkey the day after Thanksgiving.

Instead, from the earliest days of Christianity, the celebration of Christmas was meant to be a...