We’ve reached the time of year when we see a certain little word on calendars and devotionals. It brings to mind opening a small door each day and receiving a surprise, or having an excuse to start a new, month-long Bible reading plan.
Advent. It comes from a Latin word simply meaning “coming”. In the traditional sense, the weeks of Advent on our calendars are meant to be a time of reflecting back on when Jesus came to earth as a baby, and looking ahead to when he will come again.
Hanging in that balance between the now and the not yet.
There are four themes of Advent that traditionally emerge in churches who follow the liturgical calendar: hope, peace, joy, and love. Each one is the focus of one of the four Sundays before Christmas. And overall there is a feeling of anticipation and expectation.
Think about a woman who is pregnant. She is often referred to as “expecting”. The birth of her baby is something we know will happen, but we don’t know exactly when. Days and weeks go by, preparations are made, and still she waits.
All three of my daughters were born about a week after their due date. I vividly remember being asked multiple times during the final days with my third, “how are you holding up?” And my answer was always “I just want to be on the other side.”
There is an interesting space in the Bible between the Old and New Testaments. For about 400 YEARS there were no prophets. No words from God. Think of the generations that came and went, making their sacrifices and saying their prayers and receiving nothing in return, simply hoping for the promised Messiah to come.
And we thought a 9-month pregnancy was a long time.
It’s this space that we park on during the season of Advent. The longing. The promise of something special to come. We read, we pray, we study, we gather with others — keeping in mind that Christmas isn’t here… not just yet. There will be opportunity to throw confetti and glitter (and crumpled up wrapping paper) in a few weeks.
The baby will be born. We’ll be on the other side soon enough. But we shouldn’t be in such a rush to get there that we miss the beauty of this season of anticipation.
A couple of years ago I journaled through some of my thoughts and practices as I experimented with truly celebrating Advent for the first time with my family. Find those posts here:
The tale of our first-ever, real-live Christmas tree
5 steps to some peace amid the busy Christmas season
Like visuals? See my Instagram Story Advent Highlight here
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