The Season of Advent

Advent—which begins Sunday—is the first season of the Church year, and guides our worship the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day. “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming or arrival.” It’s a season of preparation and anticipation; preparing our hearts to rightly celebrate the coming of Jesus for our salvation at Christmas, and to anticipate Christ’s second coming in power and glory to bring justice and make all things new. Advent braids together two longings—ancient and ongoing—into a single season of watchfulness. It asks the Church to inhabit Israel’s story even as it awakens our own hope, letting the first coming of Christ illuminate the second.

It’s a penitential season similar to Lent, reflected in the Church’s use of purple vestments and decor, and a few changes in our liturgy (particularly in the Ministry of the Word*). And while our culture fires up the Christmas Machine, the Church has a countercultural offer: slow down and anticipate Christmas with joy and hope, not exhaustion and dread. Against the whirl of consumerism, adopt the steady rhythm of Advent. Enjoy the waiting. Watch. Study. Give. Listen.

*The “Ministry of Word” is the proclamation of God’s Word through liturgy, preaching, and creed (everything up to The Peace), while the “Ministry of Sacrament” is the administration of the gospel sacraments of Communion and Baptism. Together these are called “The Ministry of Word and Sacrament”.

Christ The King

The meaning of the title Christ or Messiah is “king”, literally “anointed one”—chosen and set apart to rule. And we know that in Christ’s first Advent—Christmas—he was far from recognized as such by all but a very few. Rather than being crowned with “a royal diadem”—as the great hymn All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Namedeclares—he was crowned with thorns while soldiers mocked him “Hail, King of the Jews”; and Pilate cynically tried to “end” him by condemning him to death, labeling him with those same sarcastic words.

We believe, though, that his death wasn’t an ending at all, but rather, when God raised him from the dead he proved that he was indeed the king of a powerful and eternally enduring kingdom. And we believe that he has, for that reason, been exalted to the highest place.

Strength to Endure

Luke 21 is commonly called the “Little Apocalypse," since it is just a chapter. There, Jesus describes Rome’s conquest of Jerusalem and its tragic impact on Jewish society, including Jesus’ followers. He frames the conquest as a time of judgement and vengeance upon Israel, which occurs within a larger framework of his eventual return and the judgement and renewal of the world that ensue.  

These are hard words about distressing events. Jesus wants his followers to understand what will happen and how to prepare. He is not subtle. Rather, he spells out in detail the tests and trials that will befall his disciples.  He concludes with an exhortation: “watch yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down…”  

Jesus says that we should attend to our hearts. He isn’t being sentimental. Rather, he is showing us how to cultivate the strength to endure.