A commemoration of something as big as Christmas – the infinite God becoming a few pounds of human flesh – could not be allowed to just happen; people needed to be prepared for it.
So it became the habit to have a season of preparation before Christmas Day. That period soon acquired the title ‘Advent’ from the Latin word adventus or ‘coming’, a word that highlighted how this season focused on the coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem. And, in various forms, Advent has been with us ever since.
In Advent Christians celebrate Christ’s coming in three ways. First, we celebrate his coming in history; secondly, we look to his coming again in the future; and thirdly, we look to his coming into our lives.
Advent looks forward to the world in every way being utterly changed by the coming of Christ. As you follow these reflections on Advent may your life be transformed in a similar way.
So it became the habit to have a season of preparation before Christmas Day. That period soon acquired the title ‘Advent’ from the Latin word adventus or ‘coming’, a word that highlighted how this season focused on the coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem. And, in various forms, Advent has been with us ever since.
In Advent Christians celebrate Christ’s coming in three ways. First, we celebrate his coming in history; secondly, we look to his coming again in the future; and thirdly, we look to his coming into our lives.
Advent looks forward to the world in every way being utterly changed by the coming of Christ. As you follow these reflections on Advent may your life be transformed in a similar way.