O come, O come, Emmanuel, the Christmas season is upon us, less than 6 weeks from now we will be celebrating Christ’s birth. The coming of the Messiah! Advent is a time of reflection, celebration, and anticipation. We reflect on what God has done, by sending Jesus to be the savior of the world. We celebrate Jesus’ coming. We anticipate His return.
What does Advent mean?
The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming”. It is viewed each December beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This year it will begin on November 28th.
Why Do We Celebrate Advent?
Advent is not biblically mandated. It is a tradition developed over the course of church history observed by many Christians around the world to do as mentioned above. Reflect, celebrate Christmas Day, and look forward to the second coming of Jesus. It’s an optional thing that many Christians find personally enjoyable and spiritually profitable.
How can Advent be spiritually profitable? Well, this time of reflection reminds us of a few things. Christmas is not about us. We can get rather consumed with gift-giving, plans, parties, and traveling. Advent helps us refocus and remember that God has a great plan for all of us, throughout history. We are reminded of the long-awaited coming of Jesus. Promises of His coming that began in Genesis and are given throughout the Old Testament are held tenderly by the Israelites (Hebrews 11:13; John 8:56). We can slow down, be patient, be still and fix our eyes on Jesus. God was not slow in fulfilling His promise, He showed great mercy (2 Peter 3:9), allowing for repentance. Lastly, Advent reinforces the faith we have in God’s faithfulness. God always keeps His promises, those in the past and the ones we yet await.
How Can I Celebrate Advent?
Such a great question! Many Christians celebrate advent differently, by singing songs, lighting candles, following specific devotionals for each day, or giving gifts. Some even hang wreaths. There are many resources for families to celebrate together, for individual reflection, or to join a church body. Some of the resources I have used in the past are devotionals found in apps like She Reads Truth, Solid Joy, or the Bible App. For families, a resource given by Orange, created by Parent Cue, is linked below. Feel free to click and download the calendar to start a new tradition with your family, or to continue the tradition.
May this season be filled to the brim with celebration, anticipation, reflection, and fun as we look forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Are you looking for a community or someone to grab coffee with who is in a similar life season? We’d love to connect with you and get to know you better! Below you will find a few people that can’t wait to meet you, shoot us an email so we can make a plan!
Tyler OJ Campus
Teresa Ator: teresaa@gcc.org
Bethanie Tayler: bethaniet@gcc.org
Tyler UB Campus
Max Heller: maxh@gcc.org
Marthe Durosiermarthed@gcc.org
Lindale Campus
Molly Pontius: mollyp@gcc.org
Debra Kirby: debra@gcc.org
