“Comfort, comfort my people…” says your God.”

Advent starts Sunday, December 1, and comfort is what Advent brings. In Advent, we have comfort food of Christmas cookies, fruitcakes, and candy canes, the comfort of warmth with fireplaces and cozy blankets, and the comfort of family and friends to share our cookies, warmth, and prayers with while we wait for Baby Jesus.

But what about our neighbors who are uncomfortable due to hunger, lack of warmth, or loneliness? This Advent, I invite you to share some comfort with others. Here are a couple ways to do just that:

• Start with Prayer: Each Sunday in Advent, we light the candles on the Advent wreath. This little bit of light brings us comfort – signs of hope, peace, joy, love and Christ to come! So replicate this comfort at home by creating an Advent wreath out of a food can. Light the candles before dinner and say this prayer: Dear God, with happy hearts we eat and share, give us open hands to care, today we pray for those in need, bring comfort and love to each of these. Amen

• Share Your Food: It’s just that simple! As people of God, we can bring comfort to our neighbors in need with the gift of food. Follow the calendar with this daily food collection and on Christmas Eve, donate the food to a local food shelf. Download this Advent Food Calendar

• Brr! It’s cold: People are not only lonely and hungry, but they are cold. Pick up some fleece from a local fabric store. Place two equal pieces on top of each other, and tie the ends together. Keep the blanket in your car. When you see someone who is cold on the side of the road, while visiting someone in a nursing home or at an animal shelter, donate the blanket.

• Visit Someone: Bring a plate of cookies, your puppy, or just your smiling presence and be with someone you know who is lonely. Your time and love shared with someone who needs a smile brings the best comfort of the season.

So this Advent season with all the waiting and preparations, may it bring you comfort. May you feel comfortable to light the candles of the Advent wreath and pray for others in need. May you feel comfortable to collect food to share with people you don’t know. May you feel comfortable, wrapped up in the warmth of Christ, to freely give comfort away to someone else.