Advent

The Advent season, a period of four Sundays before Christmas Day is a time of waiting for the Christian. The word Advent is derived from the Latin Adventus which means "coming" or "arrival". Our Christian culture, unlike the more traditional denominations, tend to skip Advent altogether and just celebrate Christmas.
I find it helpful for myself to return to the ancient practice of preparatory waiting. I am past the stage where I just enjoy the many activities associated with Christmas....the children's' Sunday school parties, the performances and the many gatherings that are meant to be outreach events. Not that I would not participate, but I am not as keen to have too much activity without pausing to remind myself what lies behind each one. Whatever it is, this period of preparatory waiting has much value. This time can be a gift as it helps us to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for the celebration of Christmas. It may indeed help us experience the reality of Christmas in a meaningful way.

Advent is as season of God's coming. The anticipation of the coming of the Messiah weaves its way like a golden thread through OT history. There are three comings we can point to: We can look back to the coming of Christ in history when he took on human flesh - the incarnation. We look forward to his coming at the end of time as King of glory and Judge of the universe. God in Christ came into the world two thousand years ago. He will come again at the end of time. Yet, the present is also a graced time, for we also experience the coming of Christ into our daily lives. In this in-between time, Christ continues to seek expression through our lives. In our hearts and in our lives we can "prepare him room".

Indeed, Advent is a graced time of waiting. As we wait, as we pause and reflect, we find new meaning in Emmanuel, our God who is with us.