Advent is Coming
The Advent is coming. Are you prepared?
For those of us who didn’t grow up in a liturgical church, or those new to a church all together, “advent” is mostly a foreign word. We don’t know what it is and we’re not sure if we practice it. It seems trendy, but we’re not sure why. Perhaps that describes you.
Primarily, Advent is liturgy, and our liturgy is the ordered rhythms of life together in Christ.
Years ago, living in a Jewish neighborhood in the heart of Jerusalem, where neighbors would gather with friends and families around tables each Shabbat and a chorus of songs and prayers would carry through open windows in the constant rhythm of Jewish holidays, I learned the beauty of liturgy.
Growing up in a “non-liturgical” church, I thought I didn’t practice liturgy in my early walk with Christ. Liturgy seemed lifeless. But as I witnessed and experienced a community celebrating the many festivals ordained in the Hebrew Bible, teaching their kids the salvation of God through the Exodus story each Passover, I realized that our communal walk with Christ is a liturgy.
Every church and family is liturgical. We come together each Sunday to proclaim the good news of His resurrection. We share the bread and the wine to encourage one another in the salvation of Christ: “This is His body, broken for you.”
We meet in homes to retell the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. We gather around tables to pray. We also celebrate Easter each spring and Christmas each winter, and that celebration of “Christmas” is Advent.
Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” It is celebrated in the Christian calendar each year to teach our children and each other the story of Jesus coming to earth as a baby, while stirring our hearts in anticipation of His return as the King who will restore all things unto Himself.
Traditionally, we celebrate it in homes and churches in the weeks leading up to Christmas beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. We reflect on themes of hope, peace, joy, and love in the coming of Christ. We prepare our hearts for His return.
This Advent season, we will celebrate the implications of the coming of Jesus in our Sunday gatherings. We also encourage you as families, friends, roommates, and small groups to thoughtfully reflect on the coming of Jesus together. A few things to consider as you prepare your journey:
Make it simple. Meaningful doesn’t need to be complicated. Simply be thoughtful and intentional. The aim is the worship of Jesus from a pure heart, and that doesn’t require complexity. You can find Advent resources and devotional guides in the bookstore at the church to order your journey, or you can write your own plan. Either way, keep it simple. I’ve found that written liturgy helps facilitate worship, especially among a family gathering in a home. Structure gives confidence to fathers or mothers or friends teaching the story of Christ. Keep it simple.
Make it interactive. Call and response readings or the lighting of candles can order a liturgy within the home to make it interactive and experiential, which is typically helpful for kids and adults alike. Even in Jesus’s day, the disciples celebrated festivals with oil lamps. The early church likely adopted those habits, and today, though a much later tradition, people around the world light Advent candles alongside a family liturgy to reflect on each week’s theme. Make it tangible.
Make it short. Brevity is typically better. The longer the liturgy, the less likely the tradition.
Be blessed this Advent season!
As mothers and fathers, teach your children the glory of Jesus. As brothers and sisters, encourage one another in the salvation of Christ. Prepare your hearts.
He arrived as a Baby.
He’s coming as a King.