What is Advent? What does it mean to me?
I had those questions after having a conversation with a friend about advent and her family traditions. During our conversation I told her that in the past, I’ve never done anything for advent and she recommended John Piper’s daily 4 minute advent devotional podcast to me. I was excited to do this leading up Christmas; it seemed simple yet meaningful. But before I began I wanted to learn more about it: I knew it is a preparation of sorts but I had never researched the meaning for myself or why it should be important to me.
Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas and lasts until Christmas Eve. The word advent means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” Synonyms are: an arrival, appearance, emergence, materialization, occurrence, dawn, birth, or rise…
…Jesus came in a time when the world was busy & many had moved on from hoping for a Savior. There was social injustice, tension, poverty, religious hypocrisy, and devastation. And it was during this time He chose to be born. And He revealed Himself; while the wise men were looking at the sky and the shepherds were watching their flocks…Jesus came and revealed Himself to the those who were in their daily routine, not expecting such a glorious advent. He revealed Himself and met them where they were and they both walked away changed: rejoicing & glorifying God — “When they [the wise men] saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” (Matthew 2:10) & “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.” (Luke 2:20)
You cannot see Jesus in all the glory of His humility, kindness, and power and walk away unchanged.
Now in the last days of 2017 Jesus is speaking to my heart, now more than ever, “Wait on Me. Place your hope in Me.” It can be easy to grow weary in waiting or discouraged in hoping, but Jesus says: “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Jesus came and fulfilled our hope. He came so He could be with us always: in the daily routine of life He’s revealing Himself and His glorious goodness to us. There has been a certain longing, expectation and waiting for an advent in my heart. Waiting for something new to be born, for Jesus to make beauty from ashes and trade the oil of mourning for the oil of joy. And He is.
Beginning each day with a simple advent devotion awakened an anticipation & brought the child-like excitement of Christmas back into my heart. Not for gifts, food, or occasion… but Jesus. And *I want that anticipation and excitement to carry into every day after Christmas.* What a beautiful time in history we get to live in: an in-between-He has come and is coming again. While we wait for Him to come again, He lives to be the fulfillment of our every longing and desire. I rejoice because He has come and lives to move in my heart and life daily and I can live in wonder and excitement waiting for Him to come again. It’s part of the glorious mystery of the gospel: my hope has been fulfilled, is being fulfilled, and will be filled when I am in His presence. Like Paul says: “from glory to glory.” There are glimpses of heaven here on earth that are glorious and joyful; they leave me rejoicing like the wise men and the shepherds…but today’s glimpses are dim in comparison with the glory to come.
I’d love to know if you have any advent/Christmas traditions!
“You’ve come to bring peace, to be love, to be nearer to us.
You’ve come to breathe life, to be light, to shine brighter in us.
Oh Emmanuel God with us.
You are here, You are holy;
We are standing in Your glory.”
– “God With Us” by All Sons and Daughters