Did you know the four weeks leading up to Christmas is called Advent? The word “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival,” and it reflects the church’s celebration of Christ’s coming into the world. Today, the spirit of Advent is nearly lost in American culture. Today the “Christmas Season” dominates how we talk about the month of December and is focused on buying gifts, family meals, and holiday decoration. The “Christmas Season” is certainly not equivalent to the “Season of Advent.”
The earliest mention of Advent as a liturgical season dates back to the 4th century in Spain and Gaul (ancient France). It was initially a time of preparation for the feast of the Epiphany, which commemorated the visit of the Magi which was equated to revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. During this early period, Advent was a somber season of fasting and penance, much like Lent. Advent meant the faithful were called to prepare their hearts through prayer and repentance.
By the 6th century, however, Pope Gregory I, who helped formalize the liturgical practices of the Church during this time, shifted the focus of Advent to Christ’s birth, instead of the Magi. Christmas had been a minor holiday up to this point, originally devised in the early church as a Roman substitute for Saturnalia, a raucous multi-day festival to celebrate the winter solstice and coming of a new year. By formalizing Christmas, the “Christ Mass,” the Church at the time elevated the coming of Christ for all the world, and not just as a “light to the gentiles.”
By the 9th century, the season had settled into the four-week observance that we recognize today. The color purple, which symbolizes penitence and royalty, became the liturgical color for Advent, aligning with the themes of waiting and preparation.
The Advent wreath, which is now a common tradition in many Christian homes and churches, emerged in the 16th century. It consists of four candles, one is lit for each Sunday of Advent, with a fifth candle, the Christ candle, lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to signify the arrival of Christ. The lighting of these candles symbolizes the gradual coming of the Light of the World and were traditionally equated with the word Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Perhaps we Americans have drifted back to our pagan roots of caroling, carousing, decorating, and drinking; we have neglected the original Advent themes of repentance and prayer. Sadly, today, Advent has become relegated mostly to Church Sundays. Yet we are called to remember the whole month is a time of spiritual preparation, hope, and reflection. Advent reminds us that the meaning of Christmas is not the presents, the food, or the company, but a chance to reflect on that first coming of Christ into the world and to anticipate His second coming to consummate all things.
Whether through prayer, Scripture reading, or acts of kindness, Advent serves as a reminder to live in a spirit of readiness and expectant joy as we prepare for the Coming of Christ.
Pastor Karl
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