Advent - Wait and Hope
The First Sunday of Advent
Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day begins a 12-day liturgical season called Christmastide which ends on January 5. January 6 is Epiphany where the visit of the Magi, Jesus’ baptism, and Jesus’ miracle at the wedding of Cana is celebrated.
Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning “coming or arrival,” which reminds us of our celebration of Christ’s first coming while we wait and hope for His second coming. Advent itself is a time of both preparation and hope. We prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ by reflecting on our life in Christ. Jesus changes everything. For instance, for much of history, time was divided by His coming – B.C., before Christ; A.D., Anno Domini, the year of the Lord. There was a time before Christ’s incarnation and a time after Christ came to Earth. In the same way, our own lives have a before Christ and after Christ moment.
Life changed for me as a child when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. I still distinctly remember my baptism in the mineral waters of the hot springs in my hometown. I was asked who Jesus was to me, and I still remember saying, “My boss.” Honestly, I’ve always thought my response was odd. However, in the time since, I have recognized some truths in my answer. A boss has authority over your work. They dictate how your time is spent and hold you to a standard of excellence. My life in Christ is similar – He is the ultimate authority in my life, He dictates how I should live and spend my time, and He holds me to a standard of holiness and right living. Advent allows me to pause and reflect – have I let God be the authority in my life?
I like how K.C. Ireton writes about this season in her book The Circle of Seasons. She writes:
“If we were to observe Advent as the season of thoughtful reflection and repentance that it has traditionally been, we would have an opportunity to do just that: to rethink our priorities, to realign our lives with God’s desires for us, to seek forgiveness and to start anew…” (22).
If Christ holds priority in my life, then I should take this time to reflect on my priorities and see if they truly do align with Christ. In the midst of a holiday season that can be filled with hectic activity, we must make space and take time to remember that Christmas is not about us and the gifts we give and receive (fun though it may be). Christmas is about Christ.
This is a time when we may recall the long wait of the world for Christ’s first coming, and reflect on our wait and hope for Christ’s second coming. This is a time when we can prepare and realign our hearts with God’s heart. The theme for the first Sunday of Advent is often “Waiting.” We wait and we hope.
This week, I encourage you to reflect on the words of Psalm 130:
“I wait for the LORD; I wait
and put my hope in his word.
I wait for the Lord
more than the watchmen for the morning –
more than the watchmen for the morning.” (Psalm 130:5-6)
In Hebrew, the word for wait – qava – is the same word for hope. Waiting and hoping are essentially the same action. How are you waiting for and hoping in the Lord during this season when we recall the longing of the world for the coming Messiah?
