BY: Sir Godfrey Gregg

Theme: Ending the Year with Expectation and Hope

As November 2026 draws to a close, our hearts turn toward the season of Advent and the celebration of the birth of our Lord. But before the lights and the music and the gifts, there is preparation. Advent is a season of waiting, of anticipation, of hope. And the family that prepares together will celebrate together. This month, I charge you to make your household ready—not merely to receive the holiday, but to receive the Christ.

The first preparation is the preparation of the heart. Before the decorations come out of the box, let each family member examine their heart. What needs to be forgiven? What needs to be confessed? What needs to be released? The prophet Isaiah called the people to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight a highway in the desert. Your home is that highway. Let the clutter be cleared—not only the clutter of the closets, but the clutter of the soul. Let the busyness be quieted. Let the distractions be set aside. The family that prepares its heart is the family that will receive the King.

The second preparation is the preparation of the home. Make your house a place of expectation. Set the Advent wreath on the table and light the candles each evening. Read the promises of the prophets aloud. Sing the old carols. Let the children ask their questions and hear the answers. Tell the story of the long waiting—the waiting of Israel, the waiting of Mary and Joseph, the waiting of the shepherds and the magi—and connect it to the waiting of your own family. This is how faith is formed: not in a single moment, but in the rhythm of a household that prepares itself year after year to welcome the Child.

The third preparation is the preparation of generosity. Advent is a season of giving, and the family that gives together becomes together. Choose a family service project. Adopt a family in need. Give to the church and to the poor. Let the children participate in the giving, not merely the receiving. Teach them that the greatest joy of the season is not in the gifts under the tree but in the love we share and the hands we hold. A generous family is a united family, for generosity draws us out of ourselves and toward one another.

Finally, let this preparation be filled with hope. The world is weary and troubled, but the family of God has a hope that cannot be quenched. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. As you gather around your tables and your hearths this November, let your home be a beacon of that hope. Let your togetherness be a sign of the unity that Christ came to bring. Prepare the way. Make ready the home. Welcome the Lord. For the family that prepares together will celebrate together, and the family that celebrates together will share a joy that lasts far beyond the season.