“Let’s Do Advent!”
If someone suggested to you that it might be fun to go out for an Advent lunch, or go to an Advent concert, or perhaps an Advent party at someone’s home, would you wonder what on earth they were talking about? It just sounds a little odd, doesn’t it? Fitting what we know (or think we know) about Advent into these four weeks of December is a daunting task. For starters, we have to figure out what Advent is, besides the worship theme for four Sundays before Christmas.
Over the centuries, a number of practices and traditions have evolved and changed in order to be meaningful to the people of different eras. Early Advent practices were very Lent-like, as Christians fasted, prayed, and contemplated their sinfulness. That is rarely practiced any more, but as with other times or seasons of the church year, Advent is observed as a means by which we can experience and grow in understanding of God’s great gift in the person of his only Son, Jesus, the Christ.
First of all, we should be saying “Happy New (Church) Year!” to one another. The calendar established back in Roman times is fine for the rest of the world, but in the life of the church, what better time than to celebrate the fresh start that a new year brings? The birth of a baby is a joyous time of new beginning, whether for a family or for the whole world.
Secondly, these four weeks will provide us with an opportunity to learn about the two sides of Advent, judgment and hope. The prophecies in the Old Testament telling of the coming of the Chosen One of God, and Isaiah 2:4 speaks of the days to come: “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” To go from God’s fearful judgment to living in peace and harmony is a total turnaround, but the One sent from God will have the power to make it happen.
Finally, we move from the promises of a Messiah and the changes that will occur, to the anticipation of his imminent arrival as foretold by John the Baptist and the account of the angelic visits to Mary and Joseph.
Throughout these weeks, let us pause and consider how desperately our world needs to hear words of both judgment and hope, and of the new life we experience in Christ’s presence. As we light the candles each week, our prayers are added to those of our forebears, calling for our Lord to protect us, to give us strength, and to shed light on our path through the darkness of this world.
So if you’d like to “do” Advent; reading the Psalms and prophets, reading the hymns of the season as poetry (perhaps singing them in your head), and making that a time of focus and quiet will give you perspective and be a blessing this season.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers