I had been planning to do a great blog post about Advent. I think most of my life I have mistaken Advent and Christmas for the celebration of Jesus the baby. And it is; Jesus left his throne above to step into a dark and hurting world. He chose to do so as a baby. A helpless baby, probably not unlike the three little boys I have had the privilege of caring for. But Advent and Christmas are so much more than that because Jesus is so much more than that. He started there, but that is not where his power lies. It's easy to think of him as a baby and be happy about the baby Jesus. That's because baby Jesus isn't dangerous. Baby Jesus looks so warm and snuggly there in the manger as opposed to unimaginable pain we see Him suffer on the cross. Baby Jesus isn't dangerous because He doesn't ask us to do things that are dangerous. Baby Jesus doesn't ask us to take up our crosses; the risen Savior does.
Anyway, back to my point. I'd been planning to write about Advent myself. But I had too much to say and not enough time to sit down and say it. So, here are the four points upon which I had planned to expound:
1. Advent is the beginning of the road that ends at Easter.
2. In Advent we remember God's fulfillment of His promises of the past and that He will continue to fulfill his promises. He promised to send a Savior and we can celebrate because that Savior was born a baby in Bethlehem.
3. Advent calls us to examine who Jesus is.
4. Advent puts us in a season of waiting; waiting for Jesus in the immediate--the savior promised to Israel, and reminding us that we are still waiting for Jesus's return.
But I'm not going to because I read someone else's words that are much better than my own. (You can find the original here. I found the section "Advent Themes" to be the most interesting.)
Advent and the Church Year
by Paul Hahn
As another calendar year draws to a close, a new church year is just beginning. The church year is a system that began to be established by bits and pieces in the early centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection, allowing the church to mark time in a redemptive way. The church year keeps the themes of our worship, and thus the themes of our lives, centered in the celebration of the life and work of Jesus. Like the Gospel narratives, the Christian calendar keeps announcing to us the good news about Jesus and his kingdom, week after week, throughout the year. And like the Gospels, the church year calls us to climb into the story of Jesus, to lose ourselves in that story, and so truly to begin to find ourselves.
There are two great cycles within the church year: a Christmas cycle that moves from Advent and Christmas to Epiphany, a season which celebrates the events of Jesus’ early public ministry, concluding with his Transfiguration; and an Easter cycle that moves from Lent, with its focus on Christ’s resolute commitment to go to Jerusalem and the cross, through Holy Week, with Christ’s passion and crucifixion, on into Easter with the joyful celebration of his resurrection, followed by Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, his Spirit, through whom he gives the church explosive growth throughout the world.
ADVENT THEMES
The season of Advent starts the new church year. Though its beginnings are hidden in the early centuries of church history, we do know that Advent originated as a time of preparation for the celebrations of Christmas and Epiphany (much like Lent is a time of preparation for Easter and Pentecost). Advent means “coming”; it is a four week period in which the church remembers Jesus’ first coming and looks forward to his coming again. Advent reminds us that we live between the times of Christ’s first and second comings and that we must live by faith in Christ and as faithful stewards of the grace he has entrusted to us as we wait for his return. Just as John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for Jesus’ first coming, so we are given to each other in the community of the church to encourage each other and challenge the world around us to prepare for his coming again.
The mood of Advent is that of longing, of expectation, and of waiting. Advent is a time when we yearn for Jesus to come back, to completely make all things new as the returning King. The cry of Advent is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance from a God who hears the cries of the oppressed and who brings them deliverance.
Of course, as the Old Testament prophets remind us, there is the problem of longing for vindication from an evil world when we are contributors to that evil! And so, as a season of preparation, Advent is a time to repent and believe: to turn away from the false hopes and drives that capture our hearts and define our lives and twist us so much that we end up using and oppressing others, and to turn toward Jesus, who frees us from slavery to our idols in order that we may serve one another in hope and love as we await his return.
ADVENT COLOR
Purple is the traditional Advent color, the color of royalty, the color that reminds us that we live to welcome back again our King upon his return. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. The church has used this color coordination to connect Jesus’ birth with his cross, his reign as king with his sacrificial crucifixion. This color scheme helps us to remember that as we approach the baby in the manger we must remember the full grown man on the cross, a man who is also fully God, the King who uses the cross as his victory chariot over the forces of death and evil.
ADVENT WREATH AND CANDLES
The Advent wreath is a relatively new tradition, but an increasingly popular one, that prepares us for the celebration of Christmas. The Advent wreath and candles are a great way to pull young children into the season and make it come alive for them.
The circle of the wreath reminds us of God himself, of his eternity and endless mercy. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. The candles associated with the wreath symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of his Son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. The fifth candle, placed in the center of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve, is the Christ candle, reminding us that all is not preparation; he really did come and he really will come again. The colors of the candles vary with different traditions, but there are usually three purple candles and one pink candle around the wreath, with the white Christ candle in the center, reminding us that Christ is at the center of all things and in him all things hold together. The third candle is traditionally pink, symbolizing our joy at the coming of Christ.
ENTER IN
So Advent is all about entering into the story of the gospel in new and deep ways, remembering Christ’s faithfulness, clinging to his promises, turning from sin, and yearning for his return. Enjoy the season. May Christ come and meet you as you live between the times. Amen.
