What's the Point of Advent?
Approach This Season With a Renewed Perspective
Last Sunday was the beginning of Advent. Advent literally means “coming” or “arrival” and marks the season of the year leading up to Christmas. This is a special season in which we reflect upon the arrival of Jesus, the long awaited Messiah. But don’t we celebrate the Incarnation every week? What makes this time of year different? While we do celebrate the Incarnation each week by preaching the gospel, it helps to have a special season to focus on Christ’s first advent and long for his second.
Advent is a time of celebration and anticipation. For thousands of years, the saints in the Old Testament longed for the promised Messiah. And one day a light shone to a people dwelling in darkness (Isa 9:1-7). God was faithful to his promise in the most spectacular way imaginable. A Savior was born—the Word made flesh to dwell among us (Jn 1:14). God gave us his own Son to save us from our sins and usher in his Kingdom. This is the gospel. It gives us every reason to celebrate.
As we celebrate, we also anticipate. The saints before us waited for the Messiah to come. We wait for the Messiah to return. Moreover, we can trust that Jesus will come back again, because God has already shown his faithfulness by giving us a Savior. Regardless of what the present situation looks like, we can wait patiently with an eager anticipation of future redemption.
That’s the point of Advent. So, treat this season differently than the rest of the year. Let it remind you that this really is a season of hope. The Son of God walked the earth, died, and rose again to redeem you. God has proven his steadfast love to his people, and Jesus is coming back. Truly, this is a time to reflect and celebrate!