His Advent

Introduction

What is Advent? I asked myself that question one particularly sluggish Christmas season.

I know it is the Christian approach to Christmas. I know every Sunday in church, we light a candle…sometimes purple, sometimes pink, sometimes white…always accompanied by a reading. I know Advent is observed by some as a countdown to Christmas Day…complete with pieces of chocolate hidden in cardboard calendars.

But what is it really? Is Advent just chocolate and candles? Or is there more? Is there something about Advent that can help my heart find Christmas?

That year I learned Advent is about an arrival. About His presence. Throughout the month, I studied the Scriptures and found new meaning in the moments when a Man who changed everything arrived in the lives of people who lived 2000 years ago. For the first time, I saw these people not as halo-encircled beings in the nativity lineup or characters in a dramatic production of “life in that day,” but as real people. The hurt and lonely, the anxious and hopeful, the confused and afraid, the ignorant and ostracized. Each of them met the Savior of the world and as He arrived and became tangible in their lives, He left them forever changed. His arrival brought a gift of hope to those who needed it…and accepted it.

As I read…as I studied…I saw myself in each of those people. Though I may not have lived in circumstances identical to any of them, I understood the feelings of their hearts. The fear, the frustration, the faith. And as I saw how the Master moved in and through their lives, I better understood how He moves through my own. I began to understand more about the moments when His presence came near even though I wasn’t purposefully seeking after Him.

And finally, it made sense. For thousands of years, the world had awaited the Advent of a Savior. The arrival of a new Hope. And just as God promised, Jesus arrived to fulfill that longing. And amid my annual traditions, He awaits the invitation of Advent in my heart. He longs to meet my need, yes…meet my desires, yes…but most of all…to meet me.

Christmas is busier than any other time of year. But I invite you to take a few moments each day to sit with me and peek into the past. To see these people who knew Jesus in the flesh. To learn from their encounters. And most of all, to welcome His arrival in a fresh way and invite His presence to remain with you this season and in all days.