Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the holiday season is finally upon us and the end this rollercoaster of a year is coming close. For those of us who haven’t already done so, it’s time to start preparing for Christmas. Time once again to put up the Christmas tree, pour yourself a cup of eggnog or two (or the whole bottle, in my case), get your gift ideas together, and build up the mental fortitude to get through what will be a very different Christmas season than usual. Among the rigor of what our culture seems to commodify into a more stressful holiday every year, we need more than ever to set aside this time to prepare our hearts for reflecting on the blessings of Christ this season.
Growing up in the Catholic Church, I remember lighting the candles on our Advent wreath every Sunday evening leading up to Christmas and weighing those serene, meaningful moments against the Scriptural theme of that morning’s service. The first candle symbolizing the hope we find in Christ’s promises, the second one our preparation for His return, the third the joy & celebration of His birth, and the fourth, the love we feel for our Savior, who came down to earth from heaven for our sakes. These lessons have reminded me every year since why we do all this at Christmas time, about how all the presents and decorations and festivities are secondary to our living Savior’s appearance.
Advent is a season of centering focus on Christ’s coming to earth, to give due diligence to the miracle of God humbling Himself by being among man; the incredible sacrificial love shown by sending His son to earth to die for our sakes. When Christians began celebrating Advent as a time of remembrance back in the 4th or 5th century, it has been a time of reflecting upon Christ’s promises, for preparing new Christians for baptism and for penitent prayer and dedication to studying the Lord’s word. It was as much an act of anticipation of Christ’s second return as His first, but at some point the focus turned more towards His birth.
Just as equally as His first coming to Earth, in this time, we can prepare for Christ’s second coming. While we traditionally use this time is for celebrating that quiet night many years ago, just as much as it is for readying for that day when Christ will make all things new and we will dwell with Him. It’s about looking back on the promises God has already fulfilled in Christ’s birth, as foretold in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”. But just as we celebrate God’s fulfilled promises, we proclaim our faith in the promises He still will fulfill, like in John 6:39 & 40: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Just as we celebrate Jesus’s rise out of Israel, we can focus our hearts on Christ until that last day arrives.
So as we explore Scripture throughout Advent centered on Christ’s birth and prepare our hearts for the Christmas season, think about not only the joy and love Christmas morning symbolizes, but on the hope for salvation Christ’s return will herald, and the preparation our hearts and minds need to remain faithful amidst our exile until that day. Amidst the kindnesses we get ready to show our families and communities, we reflect on the perfect selfless act of Christ’s love, and for His deliverance to come. I pray God’s love fill all of you in this time, and may this Advent season be a thoughtful and penitent one as we use this season to focus on Christ as the center of our lives.