Most people aren’t quite sure what Advent is. So here's the basics about Advent.
Advent literally means “the coming” or “the arrival,” and it describes two distinct arrivals. The first arrival is the birth of Jesus. The second arrival is Jesus’ second coming, at the end of the age. In Advent, we look back, remembering the painful seasons of waiting and longing prior to Jesus’ first coming, seen most vividly throughout the pages of Old Testament Scripture. But we also look forward, with an equal sense of longing, to Jesus’ second coming, that moment when he will usher in complete justice and perfect peace.
The Advent season, leading up to Christmas, is a time to prepare our hearts to celebrate the good news of Jesus’ birth. It’s a time of waiting, which any kid (or parent!) will tell you is not easy. But there’s a specific type of waiting happening at Advent.
For all the ways we can get Christmas wrong, anticipation is the one way most of us tend to get Christmas right. Christmas is not just one day. It is the culmination of a season of joyful waiting.
Which is precisely what Advent is all about. Advent is a season to remember that although the night seems long, the sunrise of Christmas is just around the corner. It is a time to be honest with God about the pain of this world, but hopeful with God about his plan to redeem it all. It is a time to ask God, once again, to “make the wrong things right and the dark things light.”
Advent season is an opportunity not just to prepare for Christmas morning, but to prepare your heart for the day when all nations will gather before the throne of Christ. Advent can deepen your worship, fuel your prayers, and awaken your longing for the coming King—the name above every name.
