RE-EXAMINING ADVENT

Brandon Trotter, Bearspaw Associate Pastor

Advent is the season in the church calendar that runs for the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It’s incredibly old, originating sometime in the fifth century or so. Each week has a theme, traditionally Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Some churches light candles to remember each theme. Again, traditionally three purple candles and a pink one, with a fifth, white, Christ candle that is lit on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

Now, here’s something most people don’t think about: Advent isn’t actually a season of celebration. It’s a season of fasting and reflection. It’s a season of waiting, because Advent, the word, means arrival. And during this season, we remember the arrival of Jesus as a baby two thousand and twenty eight years or so ago. But we also wait for his second arrival at the end of time.

In this way, Advent is a season to look back and look forward. To remember and to hope.

The problem with the Advent season for us today, is that our culture has turned Advent into an extended Christmas season. I was in a store on November 1st and heard Christmas music playing as I wandered aisles packed with garland and bows and Santa Clauses. And Christmas parties are starting earlier and earlier every year.

Don’t get me wrong, I love celebrating Christmas. But Advent is different. And it has a purpose.

If we really lean into Advent as a season of reflection and waiting, then Christmas itself can become much more meaningful. If we spend four weeks thinking about the darkness of the world, both now and before Christ’s arrival, then the lights on our trees take on greater significance. If we take on a fast through December, then our feasting and celebrating on Christmas will be joyous and fulfilling instead of one more reason to find new pants before the year is out.

Now, I’m not telling you that you need to cancel all your parties, take down your decorations, and only wear black until the 24th. Because even if we did decide to hold off on celebrating the Christmas season until Christmas, everyone else will be so sick of Christmas carols and figgy pudding that you won’t have anyone to celebrate with.

Instead, I want to invite us to think about Advent a little deeper this year. I want us to see where we can lean into a posture of waiting. Even if that’s a small shift.

Can we give up a meal or two a week? Can we spend a little more time in the Old Testament to get our heads into the space of Israel waiting for its Redeemer? Or maybe we adopt some traditional Advent practices like a wreath or a Jesse tree or a calendar? And I mean a calendar that has Bible stories in it, not cheap chocolate.

If we can keep an attitude of waiting for Jesus this December, I promise that our Christmas celebrations will be all the sweeter. The church has observed rhythms of feasting and fasting for centuries. I challenge all of us this Advent to find out why.