What is Advent?
What is Advent? What’s the difference between Advent vs. Christmas? Why is it important for Christians, and how can we prepare our hearts?
When does Advent begin in 2023?
Sunday, December 3, 2023
What is Advent?
Advent is a call to wait and a call to a quiet revolution where the king slips behind enemy lines in swaddling clothes. However, for most of us, Advent means simply that it will "adventually" be Christmas.
But in our consumeristic age of instant gratification and accumulation, Advent is a gift from the church to resist the Powers of this world, to wait, take a deep breath, and invite the Lord to come not only in our homes but also our hearts. Advent is about making room. To fail to practice Advent is to say to our Lord, there is no room in the Inn.
Advent is an opportunity to observe the waiting period between Christ's first and second coming and to celebrate where Christ has already appeared. While Advent comes at the end of our year, it inaugurates the beginning of the liturgical year.
For some, Advent is rather dull and only involves lighting candles on Sunday mornings, but embedded within the word is an etymological call to adventure. Advent shares the same Latin root as adventure, which in its Latin form, adventurous, means "about to arrive."
Putting that into the context of the Church, Advent, which means "coming," heralds the arrival of the Once and Future King. It situates us in the time between times, between Christ's first coming at Christmas and His Second Coming when He restores all things to glory. Our role in the overlap of the eons is a glorious call to wait for Christ's coming.
Why is Advent observed?
If we step back into the BC times and identify with Israel, we see they waited for the Messiah to come for thousands of years. In God's original promise to Abraham, He said, "I'm going to bless you with offspring, and I'm going to bless all the nations through you." That promise is glorious, but the waiting was burdensome. Think of all the years of slavery in Egypt, the wars of Joshua, the civil wars of David, the great rebellion, the exile, and the four hundred years of silence. Yet during all these years, the promise remained…a king is coming soon.
Now, in our present age, we're back in that period of waiting; We're looking forward to Christ's return. Like lonely exiles and sojourners, we're in this world, but it's not our home. So we're waiting for our King to come back again.
Our Christian life, like Israel's, is one long season of waiting for Christ to arrive at any moment. In the meantime, we are called to step back, pause, and meet Christ in our daily walk with Him. This is a supreme discipline, and it is counter-cultural. But, as Americans, we don't wait; we need it now. Amazon two-day delivery. One-hour dry cleaning. Insta-cart deliveries.
But as Blaise Paschal said, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." So, Christians, waiting for God makes us the people who can receive Him when He comes. He is already here: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Perhaps our hearts are too small, too busy, or cluttered to make room for Christ. Maybe they are too loud and noisy to hear Christ's knock. St. Augustine said that God often delays answering our prayers because He wants the heart of the person to expand so that it can receive the object of prayer.
God gives us the desires of His heart to mold us into a people who can steward His great gifts. But that molding requires waiting. So waiting shapes us into the kind of creatures God wants us to be.
What's the Difference Between Christmas and Advent?
Do you remember when culture moved from saying Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays? People erupted when brands took the Christmas iconography off their cups and packages. How could they take Christ out of Christmas?!
You may not like me, but let’s wait for Christmas, until Christmas—Let me explain!
Our society pushes the glitter and coziness of Christmas earlier each year. They capitalize on our sentimentality for consumeristic purposes, and we take the bait! However, when we jump ahead to Christmas, we miss the calling of Advent to wait.
Advent is a rich season with its traditions, liturgies, art, and depth, but in jumping ahead to Christmas, we lose the richness of Advent's long-awaited promises, hope, and expectation.
Think of a large city's downtown with so much artificial light that you cannot experience the beauty of the night sky. That's what our current commercialized society has done, created light pollution. The Gospel of John says that a light has come into the world "and the darkness has not overcome it.” But all of our artificial lights of rampant consumerism have blinded us from seeing the real light, the north star. As a result, by the time Christmas arrives, there's very little room for the Messiah, the entire reason for the celebration.
While Advent is certainly a time of celebration and anticipation of Christ's birth, it is more than that. Only in the shadow of Advent can the light of Christmas be fully understood and appreciated.
Advent restores a quietness, an inner peace, and a willingness to wait unfulfilled in the dark amid a season that conspires to do nothing but fill our every desire from Halloween to Christmas.
Justin Holcomb said…
"Advent is intended to be a season of fasting, much like Lent, and there are a variety of ways that this time of mourning works itself out in the season. Reflection on the violence and evil in the world causes us to cry out to God to make things right—to put death's dark shadows to flight. Our exile in the present makes us look forward to our future Exodus. And our sinfulness and need for grace lead us to pray for the Holy Spirit to renew his work in conforming us into the image of Christ."
After the waiting, fasting, and darkness, when Christmas comes, the curtain unveils, the lights come on, the carols begin, our family gathers, and we share a feast. Originally the Christmas celebration was 12 days (the 12 days of Christmas!), however, in our culture, Christmas is only one day, and then on the 26th, we box everything up and move on. We should linger In the waiting so we can linger in the celebration!
Advent is a call to step away from the light pollution and spend time in the darkness and the wilderness, where real light can be seen. Step out into the darkness, and away from the neon buzz, then you will be like the Magi:
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:10
They fell on their face and worshipped the Messiah! They brought gifts and had much joy, and all the journeying, waiting, and expectation only increased their joy when they found Him! So in Advent, we wait and look for the Messiah, and then on Christmas, we break out the gifts, food, and joy! But to skip the fasting and move to the feasting is to choose less joy, not more.
The Magi's anticipation of the coming of our Lord was counter-cultural…It was downright rebellious! Herod, the great tyrant, wanted this pretender king to be killed, but the Magi did not serve Herod; they served the child king.
Advent should be revolutionary too. Resist the temptations to serve America's kings of consumerism, accumulation, and accomplishment. We don't need more stuff…we need a king, not the one crowned with jewels in a warm palace, the one lying in a cave crowned with nothing but the north star.
You can still put up the tree and break out the Dickens Christmas village, but try to work in the still, quiet spiritual disciplines of fasting, prayer, meditation, and regular confession during this upcoming season. Or buy a book of liturgies that your family can slowly read together.
Why Is Advent Important For Our Spiritual Life?
Mark 1 tells how John the Baptist played the role of the prophets by calling Israel to anticipate and prepare for the coming of Jesus: "This is what was written in the prophet Isaiah, I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way— a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him, make a straight way for Christ.'"
Ask the question: what are the mountains and valleys in my life that keep Christ's way from being straight?
How to Prepare Your Heart For Advent
1) Remove Mountains
What mountains in your life block the path for Christ? What are the things that are over-emphasized? What have you put too much of your identity into? Perhaps it's your finances, reputation, grades, relationships, status, or possessions. What is preventing you from receiving Christ?
2) Fill the Valleys
What are those valleys that prevent Christ's straight way? What is under-emphasized in your life? What important things are neglected? Is your prayer life healthy? Are you involved in a spiritual community? Are there unconfessed sins in your life? Do you need to forgive someone?
This time of anticipation should honor Jesus and prepare for His return. This is an opportunity to recognize our brokenness and anticipate restoration.
Advent is a paradox. He has come, is coming, and will come again. He is here, and He will be here. Advent is a call to meet Christ then and meet Christ now. Our Lord said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
During this advent season, put yourself in place to meet Christ where He is present.
Gather with Christians: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matt. 18-20).
Perform acts of piety and mercy: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matt. 25:40-45)
Partake in the Sacraments: "This is my body, this is my blood, given for you" (Luke 22:19)
Hear the preaching of the Word of God.
Read Scripture and meet the Word beneath the Word.
Be expectant this Advent season. You never know what door He will open or what conversation He'll lead you to engage in. So go into this Advent season prepared to meet Him in the waiting. Embrace the adventure!
TL;DR
What is Advent?
Advent is an opportunity to observe the waiting period between Christ's first and second coming and to celebrate where Christ has already appeared.
Why is Advent observed?
As we wait for Christ’s return we enter a period of remembrance and waiting for God to mold us into who we’re called to be.
What’s the difference between Christmas and Advent?
However, when we jump ahead to Christmas, we miss the calling of Advent to wait.
While Advent is certainly a time of celebration and anticipation of Christ's birth, it is more than that. Only in the shadow of Advent can the light of Christmas be fully understood and appreciated.
Advent is a call to step away from the light pollution and spend time in the darkness and the wilderness, where real light can be seen.
Why is Advent important for our spiritual life?
We can discover the mountains and valleys in my life that keep Christ's way from being straight coursed.
How to prepare your heart for Advent?
Remove the mountains
Fill the valleys
Related Reading
How Do We Find Hope in the Holidays by Rev. Jacky Gatliff
The Christmas Story Prologue by Bro. Chris Carter
A Light in the Darkness by Rev. Jacky Gatliff
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services
