On the Season of Advent

Well, it is that time of year again. ‘Tis the season, and all that jazz. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas have begun to fill the air. However, with the month of December comes another season that sometimes gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I am talking about the Christian season of Advent. Advent, that time of year, according to the Christian calendar, when followers of Jesus prepare themselves to celebrate the incarnation of the Savior at Christmas. Of course, the season of Advent, which consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, stands at the beginning of the church year, and as such, it brings with it a sense of renewal and hope.

The name Advent comes from a Latin word that simply means “coming”, which itself is a translation of the Greek word parousia, meaning “coming”. And in the New Testament, this word almost always refers to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus when He will return to the earth in glory and power. In other words, the season of Advent is a time when Christians reflect on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, even as we prepare to celebrate His first coming. We look back, so that we may look forward. We look back into the hope and longing of Israel for the coming of Messiah, even as we look forward with hope and longing for the return of Messiah. And we let their expectations inform our expectation.

This sentiment is captured best in the well known hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which begins, “O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely Exile here until the Son of God appears.” The chorus follows, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.” Or again, in the hymn Come, thou long expected Jesus,” where we sing, “Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.” And so, it is understandable that the corresponding lectionary readings for this season emphasize the prophetic expectation that is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus as Messiah.

For the follower of Jesus, then, I believe the season of Advent teaches us three things in preparation for the celebration of Christmas. First, it teaches us to wait. When we look back into the hopes of Israel for the coming of Messiah, we are reminded that they had to wait for quite some time. The last messianic prophecy is given in the Book of Malachi, and it was some 400 years or so after those words were spoken that the Christ-child was born. Even as Israel had to wait, so also we have been waiting for some 2000 years for the return of our King. And as long as He should tarry, we will continue to wait. Sadly, the notion of waiting well has been lost in our fast-paced, instant society, but Advent teaches us to wait patiently.

Secondly, Advent teaches us to hope. It is in the season of Advent that we are reminded that our hope has only partially been fulfilled. And even as we anticipate the celebration of Christmas, we are reminded that the incarnation is only half of the Gospel story. Our Lord Jesus came to this earth the first time as a baby in a manger, and He grew into a man who died on a cross for our sin and then rose again. And after His resurrection, He ascended unto the Father with a promise, that in the same way that He departed, so also would He return one day. He will come a second time with glory and power, and He will finally and permanently establish the kingdom of God on the earth in peace and righteousness. And we should long deeply for that day!

And lastly, Advent teaches us to be faithful. In other words, even as we wait, we are not waiting passively. We are not merely sitting back on our hands looking to the sky for His return. No, we have been given a commission, a Great Commission, to go into all the world making disciples of our Lord Jesus the Christ. We are called to be faithful, to serve, and love, and live in Christ-likeness, until that time when we will meet Him in the air. As the Apostle Paul puts it in the Letter to Titus, chapter 2, verses 11-13,

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

This Advent season, I pray that you all will be filled with this blessed hope.

For Further Study, see:
On the Use and Benefit of the Christian Calendar

See also:
On the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
On the Season of Lent
On the Season of Easter