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 have been in the Christmas season for at least a few weeks already. Many have already “celebrated Christmas” with their families by having gift exchanges when everyone can get together.
Yet the Church Year calendar tells us we have just started Advent, the Intro, the prep time, the waiting period. Yesterday marked the beginning of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas. This season 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.
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. This is the season before the season.
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.
I pray that you will all use this season to prepare room for Him in your hearts, your lives, and your homes! Blessings to you this Advent. And, when it arrives, have a Merry Christmas.
