The Advent season is here! Over the next four weeks, we’ll unpack the four great themes of this beautiful season of longing and waiting: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Each theme serves as a reminder of the significance of Christ’s first Advent and as an encouragement to continue persevering as we await the second Advent. You may see or hear others mention it, or even share photos of Advent wreaths with long stem candles. Yet, you may still not fully grasp the depth of what Advent means, not just for the believer but for the entire world.

Let me begin by posing a simple question: What is Advent?

The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia defines Advent in this way: “Advent, derived from the Latin word ‘adventus,’ meaning arrival, is a four-week liturgical season preceding Christmas that prepares for the celebration of Christ’s birth while also anticipating his second coming.”² By this very definition, it’s clear that Catholics are not the only people who observe Advent. All Christians prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth and, simultaneously, anticipate His second coming. When you read Luke’s gospel account or take time to meditate on the birth of Jesus, you prepare for the celebration of the first Advent and set your gaze on the HOPE all believers have in Him.

Understanding the Hope of the First Advent

At the time Jesus was born, Israel was under Roman rule. After the Assyrian conquest, the Israelites received a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah. As a result of their sin, the Lord judged Israel and allowed their captivity and exile. Yet, their judgment was not issued without a promise of hope. In chapter 11, Isaiah communicated a promise from the Lord: that He would save them and that the savior, the Messiah, would come from the Davidic line. He gave this prophecy nearly 700 years before the birth of Jesus.

The ancient Israelites believed the Lord and held onto the hope that a Messiah would come, not only to conquer their enemies, but to rule over them with righteousness. The author of Hebrews said, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Holding onto hope required the Israelites to have faith, and faith they had, as evidenced by the account recorded in Luke 2:21-38. 

In this account, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to present him after the circumcision and purification period required by the Law. A righteous man named Simeon was there, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Luke described Simeon as a man “looking for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Messiah with his own eyes. When he saw Jesus, Simeon took him in his arms and said this:

The first coming of Christ was monumental; it meant that God fulfilled the promise He made to send a Messiah so Israel would be saved. Can you imagine learning about a promise God made as a child and growing up, waiting for that hope to be fulfilled? If you are a follower of Christ, then you certainly can. What Simeon experienced in all those years of hoping and waiting for the Messiah to arrive is what believers experience today as we hope and wait for Christ to return.

Holding Onto Hope of the Second Advent

Prior to the Ascension, Jesus promised He would return (John 14:3, Matthew 24:30). The Apostles held onto that promise and completed their mission to spread the gospel. You and I are now in a position, 2000 years later, to hold onto His promise and complete that same mission of spreading the gospel. Why? We do this because we share a common hope that Jesus will do what He said He would do: come back and save us. In essence, we are much like the ancient Israelites who held onto a promise from the Lord that He would send a Messiah to save them. 

The beautiful part of our experience today is that we have the Bible available to us and can read of the promises God made and fulfilled, including the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 11. We can meditate on God’s faithfulness to do what He said He would do while we wait for Him to faithfully fulfill the promise Jesus made before His ascension. Waiting on a promise demonstrates a deep level of trust. That trust is tested when there are little to no signs of that promise being fulfilled any time soon. 

Let’s suppose, for instance, you and a friend decided to meet for coffee at your favorite place. Now, let’s say your phone died and you got lost on the way to the coffee shop from a location you don’t normally travel to or from. The circumstances result in you arriving later than you agreed to meet. Now, let’s suppose your friend, who has already tried to reach you, knows you well enough to know that you only ever run late in cases of emergencies. It’s because of this knowledge that your friend opts to wait 30 minutes and is still there, joyful as ever, when you finally arrive.

Celebrating The Hope of Advent

A celebration can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be. Just as your relationship with Christ is personal, so too is your celebration and commemoration of His first coming. You may be familiar with the liturgical celebration involving Advent wreaths and long stem candles, or you may just be in the habit of reading a beautiful devotional. Whatever you choose to do to make this season special, do it in a way that highlights the hope you have in Christ. Salvation is not just something we look forward to, like the ancient Israelites did. Salvation is something we experience at the moment we put our faith in Christ, and continue to experience as we are sanctified by His Spirit and empowered to turn from sin, towards Him. 

Here are some resources I personally use or have used in the past to celebrate this season of waiting:

• The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp
• Unwrapping the Names of Jesus: An Advent Devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu
• The Way to the Manger: A Family Advent Devotional by Jeff and Abbey Land
• Purple Ribbon Christmas Advent Wreath
• Advent Candles Set (Dripless, Unscented, Smokeless)

As long as we are on this side of eternity, we are always waiting. I pray that this Advent season, you are filled with hope, peace, love and joy as you look back to what Jesus already did and look forward to what He will certainly do.

May your faith grow wide and deep, in the name of Jesus and by the power of His Spirit.

In His Lovingkindness,

E

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Sources:

¹ Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003.

² Michael Glazier and Monika K. Hellwig, eds., The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004), 12.

³ Isaiah 11:1-5, New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).