The Season of Advent
Anticipation and Hope
Dennis Bratcher
The Colors
of Advent
The Spirit of
Advent
Evergreens
and The Advent Wreath
Celebrating
Advent
An Advent
Reflection
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the
Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas
day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas
Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the
fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at
sundown.
Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is
Purple, the color of royalty to
welcome the Advent of the King. The purple of Advent is also the color
of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This points to an
important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the
Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion, the Atonement.
The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh"
and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world
through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through his suffering,
death, and resurrection.
However, many churches now use blue to distinguish the Season of
Advent from Lent.
Royal Blue is sometimes used as a
symbol of royalty. Some churches use Bright
Blue to symbolize the night sky, the anticipation of the
impending announcement of the King’s coming, or to symbolize the
waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new creation. Red and Green
are more secular colors of Christmas, although they derive from older
European practices of using evergreens and holly to symbolize ongoing
life and hope that Christ’s birth brings into a cold world.
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of
the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ
in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the
King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply
marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth
about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation
might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now
participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture
reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent,
including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming,
judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the
spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm
that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that
He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for
Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we
live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of
what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates
God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a
future consummation to that history for which "all creation is
groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own
responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God
with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."
Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of
preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the
evils of the word, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as
they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those
who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the
curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance from a God who has
heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!
It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however
distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation
of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over
His people and in His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated,
and now anticipates anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who
will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.
Part of the expectation also anticipates a judgment on sin and a
calling of the world to accountability before God. We long for God to
come and set the world right! Yet, as the prophet Amos warned, the
expectation of a coming judgment at the "Day of the Lord" may not be
the day of light that we might want, because the penetrating light of
God’s judgment on sin will shine just as brightly on God’s people.
Because of this important truth, especially in the Eastern Orthodox
Churches, the Season of Advent has been a time of fasting and
penitence for sins similar to the Season of Lent. However, a different
emphasis for the season of Advent has gradually unfolded in much of
the rest of the church. The season of Advent has come to be celebrated
more in terms of expectation or anticipation. Yet, the anticipation of
the Coming of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament and Judaism was
not in connection with remembrance of sins. Rather, it was in the
context of oppression and injustice, the longing for redemption, not
from personal guilt and sin but from the systemic evil of the world
expressed in evil empires and tyrants. It is in that sense that all
creation groans for its redemption as we witness the evil that so
dominates our world (Rom 8:18-25).
Of course, there is the problem of longing for vindication from an
evil world when we are contributors to that evil. This is the power of
the images of Amos when he warns about longing for the "Day of the
Lord" that will really be a day of darkness (Amos 5:18-20). Still,
even with Amos’ warning the time of Advent is one of expectation and
anticipation, a longing for God's actions to restore all things and
vindicate the righteous. This is why during Advent we as Christians
also anticipate the Second Coming as a twin theme of the season. So,
while some church traditions focus on penitence during Advent, the
spirit of that expectation from the Old Testament is better captured
with a joyous sense of expectancy. Rather than a time of mourning and
fasting, Advent is celebrated as a time of joy and happiness as we
await the coming of the King. (see
Can We
Sing Christmas Carols During Advent?)
There will be time enough during the rest of the journey through
the Church Year to remember our sins. It begins in Epiphany when we
hear about the brotherhood of the Kingdom, and realize our failure to
effect it. Then as we move toward and through Lent we realize that the
coming of Jesus served more to lay bare our own sin than it did to
vindicate our righteousness. There will be time to shed Peter's bitter
tears as we realize that what started with such possibility and
expectation has apparently ended in such failure.
It is only as we experience that full cycle, beginning with
unbridled joy in Advent that slowly fades into the realization of what
we have done with and to the Christ, that the awful reality of Good
Friday can have its full impact. And in that realization we can
finally be ready to hear the Good News on Resurrection Sunday! That is
the journey that the disciples took. And so there is value in taking
the same journey beginning with the anticipation and joy of Advent!
So, we celebrate with gladness the great promise in the Advent, yet
knowing that there is also a somber tone as the theme of threat is
added to the theme of promise. This is reflected in some of the
readings for Advent, in which there is a strong prophetic tone of
accountability and judgment on sin. But this is also faithful to the
role of the Coming King who comes to rule, save, and judge the world.
Because of the dual themes of threat and promise, Advent is a time
of preparation that is marked by prayer. While
Lent is
characterized by fasting and a spirit of penitence, Advent’s prayers
are prayers of humble devotion and commitment, prayers of submission,
prayers for deliverance, prayers from those walking in darkness who
are awaiting a great light!
The spirit of Advent is expressed well in the parable of the
bridesmaids who are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom.
There is profound joy at the Bridegroom’s expected coming. And yet a
warning of the need for preparation echoes through the parable. But
even then, the prayer of Advent is still:
Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel!
The beginning of Advent is a time for the
hanging of the greens, decoration of the church with evergreen
wreaths, boughs, or trees that help to symbolize the new and
everlasting life brought through Jesus the Christ. Some churches have
a special weekday service, or the first Sunday evening of Advent, or
even the first Sunday morning of Advent, in which the church is
decorated and the Advent wreath put in place. This service is most
often primarily of music, especially choir and hand bells, and
Scripture reading, along with an explanation of the various symbols as
they are placed in the sanctuary.
The
Advent wreath is an increasingly popular symbol of the beginning
of the Church year in many churches as well as homes. It is a circular
evergreen wreath (real or artificial) with five candles, four around
the wreath and one in the center. Since the wreath is symbolic and a
vehicle to tell the Christmas story, there are various ways to
understand the symbolism. The exact meaning given to the various
aspects of the wreath is not as important as the story to which it
invites us to listen, and participate.
The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His
eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The
green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the
hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life. Candles symbolize
the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son.
The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during
the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four
centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of
Christ.
The colors of the candles vary with different traditions,
but there are usually three purple or blue candles, corresponding to
the sanctuary colors of Advent, and one pink or rose candle. One of
the purple candles is lighted the first Sunday of Advent, a Scripture
is read, a short devotional or reading is given, and a prayer offered.
On subsequent Sundays, previous candles are relighted with an
additional one lighted. The pink candle is lighted on the third Sunday
of Advent.
The light of the candles itself becomes an important symbol
of the season. The light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the
world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness,
life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to
the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6).
The progression in the lighting of the candles symbolizes the various
aspects of our waiting experience. As the candles are lighted over the
four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and
hopelessness receding and the shadows of sin falling away as more and
more light is shed into the world. The flame of each new candle
reminds the worshippers that something is happening, and that more is
yet to come. Finally, the light that has come into the world is
plainly visible as the Christ candle is lighted at Christmas, and
worshippers rejoice over the fact that the promise of long ago has
been realized.
The first candle is traditionally the candle of
Expectation or Hope (or in some traditions, Prophecy). This
draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of a Messiah that
weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. As
God’s people were abused by power hungry kings, led astray by
self-centered prophets, and lulled into apathy by half-hearted
religious leaders, there arose a longing among some for God to raise
up a new king who could show them how to be God’s people. They yearned
for a return of God’s dynamic presence in their midst.
And so, God revealed to some of the prophets that indeed He would
not leave His people without a true Shepherd. While they expected a
new earthly king, their expectations fell far short of God’s
revelation of Himself in Christ. And yet, the world is not yet fully
redeemed. So, we again with expectation, with hope, await God’s new
work in history, the second Advent, in which He will again reveal
Himself to the world. And we understand in a profound sense that the
best, the highest of our expectations will fall far short of what our
Lord’s Second Advent will reveal!
The remaining three candles of Advent may be associated with
different aspects of the Advent story in different churches, or even
in different years. Usually they are organized around characters or
themes as a way to unfold the story and direct attention to the
celebrations and worship in the season. So, the sequence for the
remaining three Sundays might be Bethlehem, Shepherds, Angels. Or
Peace, Joy, Love. Or John the Baptist, the Magi, Mary. Or the
Annunciation, Proclamation, Fulfillment. Whatever sequence is used,
the Scripture readings, prayers, lighting of the candles, the
participation of worshipers in the service, all are geared to telling
the story of redemption through God’s grace in the Incarnation.
The third candle for the Third Sunday of Advent is
traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the Advent of
the Christ. Sometimes the colors of the sanctuary and vestments are
also changed to Rose for this Sunday. Whatever sequence is adopted for
these Sundays, the theme of Joy can still be the focus. For example,
when using the third Sunday to commemorate the visit of the Magi the
focus can be on the Joy of worshipping the new found King. Or the
Shepherds as the symbol for the third Sunday brings to mind the joy of
the proclamation made to them in the fields, and the adoration
expressed as they knelt before the Child at the manager.
The center candle is white and is called the Christ
Candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day.
However, since many Protestant churches do not have services on those
days, many light it on the Sunday preceding Christmas, with all five
candles continuing to be lighted in services through
Epiphany (Jan 6). The central location of the Christ Candle
reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season, giving
light to the world.
Advent is one of the few Christian festivals that can be observed
in the home as well as at church. With its association with
Christmas, Advent is a natural time to involve children in activities
at home that directly connect with worship at church. In the home an
Advent wreath is often placed on the dining table and lighted at
meals, with Scripture readings preceding the lighting of the candles,
especially on Sunday. A new candle is lighted each Sunday during the
four weeks, and then the same candles are lighted each meal during the
week. In this context, it provides the opportunity for family devotion
and prayer together, and helps teach the Faith to children, especially
if they are involved in reading the daily Scriptures.
It is common in many homes to try to mark the beginning of Advent
in other ways as well, for the same purpose of instruction in the
faith. Some families decorate the house for the beginning of Advent,
or bake special cookies or treats, or simply begin to use table
coverings for meals. An Advent Calendar is a way to keep
children involved in the entire season. There are a wide variety of
Advent calendars, but usually they are simply a card or poster with
windows that can be opened, one each day of Advent, to reveal some
symbol or picture associated with the Old Testament story leading up
to the birth of Jesus. One unique and specialized Advent calendar
that can be used either in the home or the sanctuary is a
Jesse
Tree. (We have available an online Advent calendar with
devotionals for each day of Advent as well as Christmas through
Epiphany Day:
NazNet's Advent and Christmas Celebration). All of these provide
opportunities to teach children the significance of this sacred time,
and to remind ourselves of it as well.
In congregational worship, the Advent wreath is the central
teaching symbol of the season, the focal point for drawing the
congregation into the beginning of the story of redemption that will
unfold throughout the church year. For this reason, members of the
congregation are often involved in lighting the Advent candles and
reading the appropriate Scriptures each Sunday. While in some
churches it is customary for this to be done by families, it can also
be an especially good opportunity to demonstrate the unity of the
entire community of Faith by including those without families, such as
those never married, divorced, widowed, elderly who live by
themselves, or college students away from home.
It is truly a humbling experience to read back through the Old
Testament and see how frail and imperfect all the "heroes" actually
are. Abraham, the coward who cannot believe the promise. Jacob, the
cheat who struggles with everybody. Joseph, the immature and arrogant
teen. Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God. Gideon,
the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson, the womanizing drunk. David, the
power abusing adulterer. Solomon, the unwise wise man. Hezekiah, the
reforming king who could not quite go far enough. And finally, a very
young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote corner of a great
empire.
It never ceases to amaze me why God could not have chosen "better"
people to do His work in the world. Yet if God can use them, and
reveal Himself through them in such marvelous ways, it means that He
might be able to use me, inadequate, and unwise, and too often lacking
in faith that I am. And it means that I need to be careful that I do
not in my own self-righteousness put limits on what God can do with
the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of circumstances. I
think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season.
-Dennis Bratcher
Copyright ©
2006, Dennis
Bratcher All Rights Reserved
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