During Advent, the Advent wreath is dressed in evergreen boughs and placed on a table. Every Sunday an Advent candle is lit and the story of our salvation is discussed. The light of the candles casts a soft glow and every face is filled with a sense of wonder. This is what celebrating Advent does, it takes the chaos and the frantic rush of our lives and it forces us to slow down. We are given, as a family, time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ so that when Christmas finally arrives, we greet the day with true joy. A Thrill of Hope is one person's personal journey through the seasons of the church that can be used as resource and as a guide through the reader's journey through the seasons of the church.