Advent is as season of waiting, of anticipation, and for the patient among us the daily opening of an advent calendar door, or burning of an advent candle, builds the excitement towards Christmas Day.
But what does it really mean to celebrate the season of Advent, what does it mean to wait?
Promises foretold
Nearly 600 years before the birth of Jesus, the following words were spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone...
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 (ESV)
This promise, along with an abundance of other prophecies throughout the Old Testament, speaks of Jesus. We read these verses with the knowledge that God has and is fulfilling the promises laid out here in the person of Jesus. But I invite you for a moment to step into the shoes of the original hearers. Can you imagine what it would have been like to wait expectantly year afrer year for a promised king? To hear promises of a saviour passed down from generation to generation, to wonder whether the prince of peace, the mighty counsellor, would come in your lifetime, or your child’s, or your grandchild’s?
It's easy to forget how long God's people waited, depending on God and trusting that, as always, his word would come true. As we take time to wait at Advent we can practice that same dependence on and trust in God.
Arrival
For centuries, the prophets foretold the Messiah’s arrival, and now, as we come to the beginning of the Christmas narrative, the wait is nearly over.
"Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79 (NLT)
But the Christmas story doesn’t start with fairy lights, log fires, cosy knitwear and sugary treats. It starts with scandal, pain and vulnerability. The God of the universe chose to become the weakest smallest thing - a human baby. He chose a scared, unmarried girl to be his mother. He chose a tiny, nowhere town to be born into, and he chose his first visitors to be nameless working-class men from the nearby hillside.
Jesus came for these people, for the nameless and the nowheres, the weak and the needy. He came to bring light to the darkest of hearts, to banish fear and loneliness and brokenness, to repair broken relationships, to take our shame and sin upon himself, to claim victory over death. And this light that he brings doesn't just hold for one day, it isn't just the temporary flame of a candle, its life isn't limited like the power like a lightbulb. The light that came down that first Christmas over two thousand years ago is eternal. And it is the light that will lead us home.
As we stop and reflect this Advent, it is this saviour that we are waiting for.
The promised return
"Jesus said, 'I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.'" John 14:27-28 (NLT)
At Christmas we remember and rejoice in Jesus' first coming. It is right that we meditate on this story and challenge our hearts to be amazed by it yet again.
But that is not the end of the story. To really understand Christmas means to look ahead to the final part of this story, when Jesus will come again, in stunning glory and majesty. Christ’s birth means the beginning of the end of this story, where all tears are wiped and all fear is chased away. As we trust in Jesus we can look forward to a life that cannot be overcome by death, to a new creation in which we will finally be made new, and transformed into the people we were always meant to be, where our true joy is only and always Christ.
Advent means straining ahead to this final day.
How can we reframe our thinking about Christmas in light of the expectation of Jesus’ return?
Join the Advent/ure
Throughout December, we want to help you get the most out of our brand-new resource, Little Book of Advent. We invite you to download our free guide for this resource, and to Join the Advent/ure with your church, your family and friends, or carve out some time for yourself in the busyness of the Christmas season.
As you explore Little Book of Advent, see what sparks your imagination and creativity. We would love to know your plans for Little Book of Advent, and to hear your stories of community and welcome this Christmas.
