Advent: How Seasonal Rhythms Recalibrate Our Hearts

Moses walked with God in humility and face-to-face intimacy. His prayer in Psalm 90:12 captures the heart of why embracing rhythms of the church calendar matters in our spiritual formation: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Spiritual formation requires intentionality and commitment to the habits which foster growth and change—and change takes time. In our fast-moving lives, a disordered relationship with time often keeps us from engaging in practices that could re-order our rhythms, restore balance, and reorient our hearts toward God.

The church calendar offers a healthy framework for our spiritual growth. As we anticipate, commemorate, and celebrate in seasons of the liturgical year, we remember what it means to cultivate life in God. Then, as we enter Ordinary Time, we experience the consistency of God—unchanging, faithful, and present to us in both joy and pain. “Teach us to number our days…” Why? “…That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Seasons like Advent remind us that we are made for eternity. Our earthly days are finite, so ordering our days is one way we live humbly before the Creator of our days. When Jesus and his disciples were criticized for their Sabbath practices, Jesus reminded, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27, NLT) Likewise, following the church calendar is not about rigid rituals or meeting expectations. It is a grace-filled reminder of our value to God and an invitation to recalibrate our hearts through formative practices.

Participating in Advent is one of the most meaningful ways to tell God’s story to the next generation. Psalm 90:1 reminds us that God is our true home throughout generations, and verse 16 is a prayer that our children would see His splendor. As we gather to read Scripture, light candles, pray—and yes, even open the little surprises held in an Advent calendar—we invite our children to catch a glimpse of the beauty and radiance of God. Returning to the story of Jesus’ birth each year becomes a spiritual mile marker, shaping their hearts to gain wisdom for their ordinary lives.

Practicing Advent and other seasons of the church year reminds us that we belong to a much larger spiritual family— one that has remained faithful to God over centuries and seasons. Beyond the candles, calendars, and familiar traditions, Advent draws us into rhythms passed down through time. In anticipation, waiting, and longing, we find meaningful pathways to experience God in life-giving and new ways.