The word ADVENT means “arrival” or “appearing” And when it comes to the original Christmas story of 2000 years ago, there was definitely a spirit of waiting and longing among God’s people for the promised Messiah to show up!
Advent captures the hope, belief, and desire that, at some point in the future, things are going to get better.
In the times of the OT, people were longing for the Messiah’s first advent. In our day, we yearn for Jesus second advent.
We too know the feeling that things aren’t as they should be or could be. We live in a world of pain…strife…confusion. Paul expressed an Advent spirit when he wrote these words to the Philippians:
Philippians 3:17-21 NLT: 17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
This is the spirit of Advent. The anticipation that comes with looking forward to something better. Paul also touched on the longing nature of Advent when he wrote these words in his letter to the Romans:
Romans 8:22 NLT: For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the world is not right. In fact, that’s been the case since Genesis 3. The newspaper headlines may change, but the reality of ongoing human sin and struggle hasn’t. The world is sick with sin and cries out for redemption.
Here’s a guess I’ll make about all of us: 2022 had its share of disappointments, letdowns and setbacks. And in the same way, 2023 will leave us longing as well.
- We’ll be disappointed with our political leaders.
- We won’t see eye to eye with friends and family on important issues.
- We’ll watch the news and feel despair.
- Some of us will suffer some big setbacks, such as sickness, or financial loss or the passing of a loved one.
Yes, in 2023 God will also bless us with many good gifts, but at the end of the day, we’ll likely still be stuck with feelings of longing for better things. Thus, Advent reminds us that we have only one hope, and that hope is Jesus.
Oh, how much we need to focus on the One who one day will satisfy our true desires but will also set the world to what it should be. Even as we long, we can be filled with hope. Why? Because Jesus is coming.
So why do take time to observe Advent? The big reason is to help us focus. You and I know how Christmas can get. Christmas can really busy and really crazy. And with all that busyness and craziness can come a lot of stress and pressure. Some people say that the Christmas season is the most stress-filled time of the year! People can get exhausted. disillusioned and depressed.
Advent is one way to help us get retuned, refocused and realigned with what Christmas is really about.
I like how blog writer Adam Ramsey described this ALL TO COMMON STRUGGLE a lot of us have between the secular Christmas and the Christmas that is sacred:
“Advent is a time for priming our hearts to treasure Christ. Yet amid all the frenetic end-of-year chaos, it’s so easy to squander these precious moments of waiting. Many of us know all too well what it’s like for December to blur by—what it’s like to arrive on the doorstep of Christmas as another exhausted casualty of our consumeristic age. And what exhausts us? Reacting. Organizing. Shopping. Planning. Wrapping. Budgeting. Stressing. Eating. Stress-eating. So, I am writing to those who, like me, need to slow down and embrace the oft-missed words of the famous carol, “Let every heart prepare him room.”
Let’s be honest. It’s really easy to push Jesus into a corner at Christmas time. Yes, we know that Jesus is the “reason for the season,” but somehow, some way, our Christmases often leave Jesus overshadowed by all the busyness and consumerism. At a time of year when the spotlight should be on Jesus, it often seems to shine on everything but Jesus!
So, that’s the reason for Advent: To gently encourage us to make more and more space for Jesus.
Truth be told, to fully experience Advent demands some discipline on our part.
- It may mean saying “yes” to some things and “no” to others.
- It means we have to make a concerted effort to keep Christ in Christmas.
- It means we’ll have to slow down in order that Christmas doesn’t – one again – become a blur.
This Christmas season let’s make it our aim to slow down rather than hurry up, to not miss the invitation that Advent is to us. Let’s ask God to teach us how to wait and pray with eager longing for the coming of Jesus…and for his new creation.
KURT STAEUBLE 