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Advent—the
arrival of something new.
The
four Sundays leading up to the feast of Christ’s birth are set aside to prepare
our hearts for the arrival of the Son of God come to earth—Emmanuel, God with
us. Historically this event took place some 2000 years ago, but we are invited
to participate afresh in our Lord’s coming, as we join Christians around the
world and over the centuries to observe Advent each year. We have the
opportunity to personalize the events of holy history—Heilsgeschichte—as we
prepare our hearts anew to embrace the Lord in our lives.
The
first Sunday of Advent moves us from ordinary time into holy time. Two-thirds
of the church year are lived in ordinary time. That is as it should be—for the
majority of life is lived with daily chores, normal jobs and school, and
commonplace pleasures and challenges of existence. We serve the Lord in
everyday relationships and responsibilities. We love God and others through our
unnoticed faithfulness to our calling in life.
With
the upcoming first Sunday of Advent, however, we move into holy time—“holy
days” that have often become in our culture mere “holidays.” Yet, we can
reclaim their significance in the life of faith. We can regain their original
purpose in this season of the church.
“Holy”—Latin
“sanctus”—means to set aside or consecrate to God. Rather than simply a season
for shopping, Advent is a time set aside for the Lord. These weeks are an
opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to lives of faith, focused on our
relationship with our loving Creator. They are an invitation to prepare our
hearts for a fresh encounter with Christ—the Eternal Logos, God’s Word—who
condescended to come into our world, our lives, our suffering, our struggle
with sin, our shame, our human situation.
As
we enter Advent, we move out of mere chronological time—that simply ticks by
the minutes, hours and days—and we step into kairos time. The Greek term kairos
refers to the appointed time for something. As Galatians 5:6 asserts, “For
while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Advent
is the appointed time for dedicating ourselves anew to the Lord. Advent is the
appointed time for setting aside some special time of devotion, whether a
weekend retreat, a daily devotional or some extra time of silent listening to
God. Advent is the appointed time for stillness, stepping back from the bustle
of buying gifts and baking cookies to still our hearts. Advent is the appointed
time for attentive waiting, as we anticipate the celebration of Christ’s birth
on Christmas day.
© 2017
Glenn E. Myers
