‘Waiting’ and ‘Watching’: Advent Season has Arrived

Sunday night, we discussed the season of Advent, which began for us that morning with a celebration of baptism and confirmation (including with two of our own, Angel Jones and Marie Halligan). So what is Advent all about, anyway? 

For Christians, Advent is a season of preparation for what’s to come — it means “coming” or “arrival.” During this time, we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world and share our hope in his coming again. This season is a celebration of the Nativity of the Lord and an opportunity for self-reflection. 

For me, the trait that I see in others that I wish I possessed, more than any other, is patience. I am not now nor have I ever been very good at waiting — for anything, ever. As Brian Zahnd points out, Advent is all about waiting, “a practice most of us in our secular age struggle with. Yet patience is a holy virtue we need to cultivate.”

Advent is about waiting and watching, slowing down a bit to appreciate the gift we have been offered in Christ. 

In Advent we expectantly wait for the One who has already come. We anticipate the promised justice of God’s new world, yet we praise God who raised the “righteous branch” to rule with justice and righteousness. We hope for the restoration of the afflicted, the tormented, and the grieving, yet we delight that healing has come in Christ. 

Companion to the Book of Common Worship

Advent was patterned after the season of Lent, a six-week period of repentance and preparation for Easter. As a spiritual practice, Christians often give up something for Lent. We call it a Lenten sacrifice, which is generally a luxury that is given up for the entirety of the season (six weeks).

In the season of Advent, instead of subtracting, maybe we could think of something we could add to our lives that would reflect the hope that we have in the coming of Christ. Some people use Advent calendars, as a daily reminder; others hang wreaths as a symbol of hope and renewal; others do daily devotionals focused on the coming of our King. 

With everything that is going on in the world today, we desperately need this time of reflection, expectation and hope. Thanks be to God!