Last week I talked about the consecration of the year, and using it to recall different events in salvation history. This week, I'd like to go more in-depth with this idea, and talk consecrating the year in the context of the season we're currently in: Advent.
So first of all, we have to ask ourselves what Advent is commemorating. What are we reliving in salvation history?
Advent is the time to recall when God's covenant people waited for the fulfillment of His prophecy and sent a Messiah. The season of Advent is a time for waiting and preparation.
Waiting
Before the coming of Christ, God's people were filled with expectation. They knew God would send a Messiah, but didn't know when or how. Reading the later books of the Old Testament gives one a sense of longing for the fulfillment of prophecy and the deliverance of Israel. Likewise, we should treat Advent as a time to look towards Christmas.
While cultivating this expectancy, we must guard against an attitude which completely pervades secular society and is prominent even among many Christians: the mindset that Advent (the time before Christmas) is a time to celebrate Christmas. Avoiding this attitude is really difficult, because it truly is everywhere (no surprise in our instant-gratification culture), but if we buy into this mentality, we completely miss the perspective of anticipation that Advent is meant for.
Until a secular, materialistic philosophy hijacked Advent, Christians viewed it as a time of subdued yearning, with Christmas to be celebrated on December 25th and after. (That's what that song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," is all about: the twelve days following Christmas and before Epiphany when Christians traditionally celebrated the birth of Christ.) I personally really enjoy Christmas, and singing Christmas carols, giving gifts and going to Christmas parties is exciting and fun. It's strangely difficult for me to acknowledge that celebrating Christmas before Christmas has come isn't how it's supposed to be.
Now, I'm not saying that going to Grandma's house for a celebration on December 22 is completely uncalled for, and that you should staying home from such an event (which would be uncharitable and inconsiderate among other things). However, it's also not right to let a secular mindset govern our hearts and treat Advent as Christmas. If you have suggestions on how to avoid this, please comment (or even email me personally because like I said, I need all the help I can get in this department). My main suggestion is this:
Preserve the spirit of Advent whenever you can. Unless your calendar is jammed with celebrations from dawn to dusk, there's plenty of time where you make the decision as to whether it's a time to prepare or a time to party. The time you spend attending Christmas parties will be trivial compared to the amount of free time you have. Have fun and enjoy yourself at the parties, but cultivate a spirit of expectation when you're at home, at class, etc. (Do whatever it takes...I made a Spotify playlist of Advent hymns, so when I get Christmas music fever I'll have somewhere to turn.)
Preparation
Advent is not only a time of expectation, but also a time of preparation. Prior to Christ's coming, John the Baptist was sent to prepare the people and urge them to repentance.
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
And every mountain and hill shall be brought low,
And the crooked shall be made straight,
And the rough ways shall be made smooth."
(Luke 3:4 & 5, quoting Isaiah 40:3 & 4)
We also should use Advent as a time of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. It's a time to look inwards and ask ourselves "What is crooked? How can I make it straight?" It's a time to acknowledge our roughness and ask the Lord to make us smooth.
As we're preparing our hearts and joyfully waiting for Christ's coming, we should recall the waiting experienced by God's people before the Incarnation. This makes reading the Old Testament especially appropriate during Advent, for it helps us draw near to the spirit of expectation held by those awaiting their Messiah. Meditating on the prophecies of Christ's coming from Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, etc., unites us in a way with the ancient Israelites who themselves treasured these prophecies as God's promise of His steadfast love. The first chapter of Luke's Gospel, which features the events more immediately preceding Christ's birth, is also a beautiful passage for Advent Scripture meditation.
A few years ago, my family used a Scripture sequence during Advent which really helped me personally. Each day of Advent, we read a short passage (or passages) of Scripture. The passages were chosen to work chronologically through the Bible and highlight important people in salvation history leading up to the time of Christ. While such a sequence obviously requires that you skip a lot, it's a beautiful way to study the roots of the "shoot that has sprung forth from the stump of Jesse." (One example: http://www.therestored.org/Downloads/TableofScriptureforJesseTree.pdf)
Really, though, what exactly you do isn't so important as that what you do prepares your heart for the coming of Emmanuel, God-with-us.
May this season of Advent be one of sanctification, of patient waiting and joyful preparation.
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