Advent is alive with a sense of restoration and stirring with the hope of redemption. It is heavy with longing for God to rescue us and bring us back to himself. In our culture, the Christmas season is often associated with a fast-paced sense of hurry. The holiday rush, they call it. Inevitably, we will fee the tension of impatient shoppers and hectic schedules. But the Christian embrace of Advent is a counter-cultural act of intentional patience. We wait. We hope. Resisting the urge to rush ahead to the manger, we enter into the story of Israel and share their longing for a Savior.