General Thoughts : Advent

What does it mean to celebrate Advent? What is the purpose of Advent, and what distinguishes it from the Christmas season? Should we sing Christmas carols during Advent? How about wreaths, trees, and other Christmas type decorations?

I think that we often miss the depth and richness of Advent when we go straight from Thanksgiving into Christmas. I'm not just speaking about the commercialism and holiday spending sprees--I'm talking about our corporate and individual/family times of worship. When we begin singing "Joy to the World, the Lord is come," on the first Sunday of Advent, we are short-circuiting a rich tradition that allows us to first focus on our need for a Savior.

As we move through the month of December (at least in the northern part of the country, where I live), the days get noticeably shorter, until we reach the shortest day of the year--just a few days away from Christmas. As the shadows grow longer, we are reminded of our longing for sunlight. As the days get shorter and darker, our advent wreath grows brighter, adding a new candle each week. This wreath reminds us that the Light of the World has come, and is yet to come again.

One of the reasons children appreciate Christmas morning so much is because of the anticipation. We sometimes find that planning for the vacation is as much fun as actually going on the vaction. And I have to wonder if we are truly able to appreciate the Christian celebration of Christmas until we have been reminded of our need for a Savior.

Advent helps us explore the themes of darkness/light and hopelessness/hope. Our joy at the coming Christ is greater when we become more aware of our need. Instead of jumping directly into the Christmas celebration on the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, we take time to consider our current situation of waiting for the second advent of Christ. We recognize that we are longing for His return. As Jars of Clay would say, we are "waiting for the world to fall...waiting for the scene to change."

How does this play itself out practically? In our congregation, we will focus on the Second Coming of Christ during the first Sunday of Advent. At the same time, we resist the urge to add Christmas decorations and Christmas music to our worship until the third Sunday of Advent. Our music choices for the first two weeks of Advent will focus on confession, longing, and our need for a Savior. We will also explore themes of hope and expectation--not just for opening gifts under a tree--but anticipation for the return of Christ.

Gradually, our focus will shift from looking ahead to the return of Christ to looking backward at the anticipation experienced by those who were awaiting His first advent. This will bring us into the Christmas celebration. We will use an advent wreath and blue paraments at the beginning of the season, and then add other Christmas decorations to the worship space throughout the month. We have a large nativity scene that we place on the platform, as well as a large tree which has been decorated with chrismons. (Chrismons are handmade ornaments which are monograms representing Christ--our set of chrismons include: a chi-rho, a fish, a dove, a manger, an anchor, a rose, a butterfly, a trefoil (IHS), an Alpha/Omega, and a cross. You can read more about chrismons in Diane Gibson's book Chrismons, They Point to Jesus. Our ladies' ministry made our set a few years back.)

It's also important to note that churches that keep Advent are more likely to celebrate Christmas through the traditional 12 days--with a Christmas-themed service for the first Sunday after Christmas as well, and possibly an Epiphany service celebrating the coming of the Magi. In addition to caroling excursions and candlelight services of lessons and carols, this allows ample time to explore most of the Christmas carols in your hymnal.

There are several resources available to help you explore the meaning of Advent within its intended context, instead of an extension of the Christmas season. Dennis Bratcher has some excellent articles available at www.crivoice.org. In particular, you'll want to check out his answer to the question, "Can we sing Christmas Carols during Advent?" During Advent, you may find it beneficial to pay close attention to the Old Testament lessons, as these lessons help us better understand the anticipation and longing of the People of God as they anxiously awaited the coming Messiah.

May this season be a blessed exploration of the certain hope which we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Grace and Peace,

PastorJon

PS: I added some more thoughts about light/shadow and hope/despair in this post.