The Gift of Advent

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’”—Jeremiah 33:14-16 NIV

Yesterday was the first day of the Advent season. I was somewhat amused to see the worlds of liturgical seasons and grocery shopping collide when I came across a thread about an Aldi Advent calendar. People in the comments were arguing about when Advent started. Some of the people in the thread were somewhat condescending to those who thought Advent started before December 1. One person took an altogether different approach to the daily Advent calendar selection and dumped its entire contents into a bowl. (Wild times we are living in!) As a bit of a liturgical-season nerd, I can assure you that for 2025, Advent started on November 30. The Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve, so the start date varies a bit each year. Advent lasts through Christmas Eve; then we move into the season of Christmastide on Christmas Day.

Maybe you're wondering, 'what is Advent?' In the universal Church, there are varying levels of intentionally recognizing Advent, so it is more familiar for some than others. Advent comes from the Latin, Adventus, which means 'coming or arrival,' and it is recognized in churches during the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Typically, each Sunday has a theme—Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. The whole season is usually characterized by longing and waiting with hope as we remember and recognize our need for a Savior. Honestly, as believers, I think this is a good heart posture year round. At some point, we have all needed to be rescued and delivered from some trial or heartache. We have the benefit of knowing how the story ends—that God did, indeed send a savior, but there was a time in history when God's children didn't know how or when God would redeem them. Advent gives us a time to reflect on that and live in the tension of the "now and not yet" as we wait for God to move in whatever we currently face. 

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.—Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 NIV

During Advent, we often read Old Testament prophecies that foretell Jesus' coming, promising hope and salvation. We can see ourselves in those passages. Are you looking for a light to dawn, peace to enter your circumstances, a reminder that God is with you? It's likely that you or someone you know is. The Advent journey reminds us all that God knows our hearts and sees our need. It also gives us the opportunity to experience and remember that there is value and purpose in the longing and in the waiting. We learn a lot about who God is in the waiting. We also learn a lot about ourselves as His beloved children. God is too kind and loves us too much to give us anything less than His best for us. Sometimes waiting helps us understand that and gives us an opportunity to know Him better. I can certainly say that this has been true in my life. God is always at work, even when it’s not immediately obvious to us. 

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). —Matthew 1:18-23 NIV

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said”—referencing Isaiah 7:14 in particular here in Matthew, but there are hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus. If you like math and statistics, check out this short article on the probability that one person could fulfill even eight of those prophecies. I also love this video from The Bible Project that gives an overview of our salvation story unfolding throughout scripture. Jesus’ birth (and lineage), life, death, and resurrection took place just as the prophets, and Jesus himself, said it would happen. One of the many benefits to reading the Bible cover to cover more than once is that these prophecies and their fulfillment begin to stand out more and more. The New Testament is not just a collection of books about Jesus that stand on their own; it is page after page of God’s promises being fulfilled–history unfolding just as God said it would. The gift of Advent is the opportunity to remember that after the waiting and longing, God’s people were actually delivered. It gives us the hope that God will deliver us from our current trial, too. It gives us the peace that God is with us always, and He is working for our good. It gives us the joy of the Lord’s strength and joy in knowing that God is able. And it gives us the love of God in the flesh. God loved us enough to take the humblest form to be with us and save us.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth…Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.—John 1:14 and 16 NIV

Friends, we can trust God to see us through whatever darkness we are facing, that light will still dawn on our current situation. God’s track record is unmatched. It may not look like we expect or in the way we think we prefer; Jesus as the Messiah was much different than people were expecting. But we know that Jesus was the best solution to humanity’s need of salvation. We can trust God to know the best way to solve our circumstances and give us life. Let us embrace this season and our own time of waiting with full assurance that we are loved and that God is working for our good.

Amen.