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Advent Traditions



Sunday, December 2nd, marks the beginning of Advent. For many Adventus is a period of preparing for Christmas, the celebration “of our dear Savior’s Birth.” (O Holy Night Hymn).   Advent starts the first Sunday of December and culminates on Christmas Eve. Some brothers and sisters mark Adventus by fasting or abstaining from something, examples being lattes or certain foods or TV, much in the same way Lentintide  (lent) fasting works, and in place of what they give up they pray, mediate on Scripture and spend time with the Lord. Others buy an advent wreath or circlet with four candles, three purple and one white, each which are lit on Sundays in Advent and on Christmas Day. 

There are many Advent traditions and whichever draws your heart more into His Spirit this season is worthy “and of good report.” (Philippians 4:8). For myself, the Medieval Readings of Scripture is how I will celebrate. In the Middle Ages the Church read on Sundays in Advent the passages of Christ’s Second Coming because the word Advent, Latin Adventus comes from Greek word Parousia, which means Coming, in particular the Second Coming of Jesus. So while they prepared to remember and hallow (honor and worship) Christ’s first coming as a child, the ecclesia read the Return of Christ passages in Revelation, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Luke, and Matthew. The way this tradition works is you prepare passages pertaining to parousia, the Second Coming of Christ and read them on the Sunday nights in Advent, then on Christmas-eve you pivot fo the First Coming passages in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Both: Chapters 1 and 2). In this way we Christians focus on our Lord Jesus Christ and His Coming. The result is that while you prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas your mind and heart is on the fact that Jesus is coming back soon, “He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). 

Advent is a perfect time to get spiritually prepared for our Lord’s return! In same way that resolutions are made for the new year, Advent can be our time to assess are we ready to meet our Lord and be His bride? (Revelation 19:6-8). For we are the Bride  of Christ, His Church, and we should be excited and passionate about the Parousia, about Advent! About His Coming! This Adventus is a opportunity to reflect, introspect, and spiritually commune with the Lord Jesus and cloth ourselves with him, “Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14), so that we arnt caught naked, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake and who keeps his clothes [that is, stays spiritually ready for the Lord’s return], so that he will not be naked—spiritually unprepared—and men will not see his shame” (Revelation 16:15 AMP). 


Much of the holiday season is shrouded in the folklore of the North Pole, and so Advent brings us back to the reality that Christ is coming soon, while at the same time we remember His first coming. In this cold and wintry time, we can with candles lit and Bibles in print (or apps, Bible App) focus on the Lord and be thankful for His first coming while preparing for His second coming. Amen. 



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