This past Sunday, the Christian world entered the season of Advent. The word advent means arrival or coming. Advent is celebrated just before Christmas to remind us that Jesus is coming again. It was designed to help believers keep a forward-looking perspective. The celebration of Christmas is certainly a highpoint in the Christian calendar, but Christmas looks backward and celebrates what God has already done. Advent encourages us to look forward to what God is about to do, and as it does, it causes our hearts to experience two significant emotions.

The first emotion is excitement. For over two thousand years, the Church has been anticipating the glorious and victorious return of Jesus Christ. That means that we are two thousand years closer to that incredible moment! In John 14, Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Believers instinctively know that this fallen and broken world is not their home — and their hearts are filled with eager anticipation as they wait patiently for Jesus to return and take them home. Advent is designed to amplify that anticipation.

The second emotion is urgency. Believers are on a mission and there is work to be done! Until Jesus returns, we have been given the responsibility to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to make disciples. You can hear the urgency in Paul’s writing in II Corinthians 5:14-21, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Because Jesus may return at any moment, believers live with a driven resolve to accomplish as much of the mission as they can. Again, Advent is designed to amplify that urgency.

This is why we celebrate Advent.

The History and Meaning of Advent

The season of Advent traces its roots back to Lutheran churches in Germany. While Advent is not the celebration of Christmas, it is tied to Christmas in much the same way that Lent is tied to Easter. Advent and Lent are both times of penitent preparation as we approach the celebration of the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord.

The symbolism of advent is rich and it is good to review the purpose intended for each aspect of the celebration:

The Advent wreath is designed in the shape of a circle and represents God’s never ending love. It is made of ever-green holly which reminds us of God’s everlasting love. The thorns of the holly remind us of the crown of thorns He wore and the striking red berries remind us of His shed blood.

The four outer candles hearken back to the 400 years of silence that existed between the prophets of the Old Testament and the arrival of John the Baptist. The dark purple of three of the candles represent the penitent preparation for the coming of the Messiah. The pink candle, often called the angel’s candle or the candle of joy, lifts us from penance and introduces us to joyful anticipation.

The center candle is known as the Christ-child candle. It holds the center position and represents the central position that Jesus Christ has in history and in our hearts. The white color represents His sinless purity and the flame reminds us that He is the Light of the World.
The Deeper Question of Advent

Throughout the holiday season, people will ask each other “Are you ready for Christmas?” More often than not, they are referring to the rush of activity that leads up to December 25th – buying and wrapping presents, decorating the tree and home, cleaning the house, hosting family and friends, baking cookies and special treats – it truly is a most wonderful time of the year.

But Advent asks a deeper question, “Are you ready for the return of the Messiah?” He is coming again, in fact, He may arrive before you finish reading this article! In the midst of the flurry of activity that prepares us for the celebration Christmas, let’s determine to allow Advent to amplify our excitement as we await his return and our sense of urgency as we seek to fulfill His mission.

I have good news: Jesus is coming again! Are you ready?