A star in the sky, carols in the evening air, a candle in the window, a wreath on the door, mistletoe hung high, poinsettias aflame with brilliant color, gifts beneath a lighted tree, friends around the holiday table, families reunited in love, church bells ringing. All these things are part of Christmas in America! And as far as most of America is concerned, we are now in the Christmas season. But you and I know better. It is not yet Christmas. This is Advent, the Intro, the prep time, the waiting period. Today marks the beginning of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas. Advent is designed to help you prepare for the coming of your Savior, the Messiah.
Advent means coming. It is to remind us that the celebration of Christmas is coming and that our Lord Jesus is coming back again. These are to be days of anticipation and expectation and preparation for Christ’s arrival.
It is hard to observe Advent in our world today. People want to jump forward to Christmas. People talk about the holiday season. It begins with Thanksgiving, which is immediately followed by “the Christmas season” in the minds of most people. But some don’t wait that long. People start putting up Christmas lights in October these days! We want to jump ahead.
Yet Advent has a purpose. There is a reason for this season as well. Through the centuries, Christians have observed a time of waiting and expectation before celebrating the birth of the Savior at Christmas. The Advent season is to be a time for reflection and preparation, but the mood is not meant to be sorrowful. This is a time of joyful anticipation. We know that Christ is coming again, but He has not yet come. Advent is a representation of that: it is not that we don’t know about Christ’s birth! It is just not yet the celebration of it! That will come eventually, just as our Lord will return eventually.
Advent is something we should embrace and value in the church. It proclaims the revelation of God’s love expressed in Christ’s birth in a humble stable, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His victorious resurrection! It points to the hope of Christ’s coming again as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Advent makes innkeepers out of all of us, asking each of us to make room for the arrival of Christ the King.
In the days ahead, I will share some thoughts about traditions and some of decorations we see during this season of preparation. I hope this will help you anticipate and prepare room for Jesus in your hearts, your lives, and your homes!
