Advent: Week One
Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming says the Lord of hosts.
-Malachi 3:1
Anticipation is the word that comes to mind as the Christmas season approaches. As leaves fall to the ground over September and October, a change beyond the atmosphere can be sensed by many. The chill of the morning is now enough to take the wool sweaters down from the attic, the smell of baked goods floats out from many a kitchen window, and children all over the world begin writing their lists for St. Nicholas (Santa Claus, Father Christmas, or what have you). But every year, in the weeks or days leading up to December, something begins to stir within the minds of many believers.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve felt a shift in how I perceive the holiday season. When I was a child, Christmas was about being around my family, and of course, opening presents. I had no concept of timing, money, or any of the things that now cloud my mind around this time of year. Christmastime felt like actual, genuine magic. Everything from baking cookies to decorating the tree felt like Christmas was just that much closer. Part of what made this season feel so special was when my mother made the inevitable trip to the grocery store right before the beginning of December. I would hear her voice call, “April!” from the kitchen, and my little legs would tear out of my bedroom and down the hall to see what was on offer. A thin, rectangular box with individually numbered windows awaited me.
Thus was the extent of my knowledge of advent. I didn’t grow in up a Christian household, so the idea of going to advent services or masses was not part of my upbringing. When I was saved and began attending church, suddenly the notion of advent was all around me, and I could tell immediately that it was far greater than chocolates behind cardboard windows. It wasn’t until I started researching more diligently that I learned about the significance of advent in the Christian belief system.
A podcast I listened to quite a bit at the beginning of my walk with God was The Bible Binge with Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden, which is a hilarious pop-culture take on the Bible that made scripture so much clearer for me as I navigated learning how to read it. Their series (which I HIGHLY recommend) was my first thorough introduction to advent as a season in Christian life.
When I was a child, advent was about the anticipation of Christmas Day, and to some extent it remains that way to me as an adult. However, advent is no longer as simple as sitting on Santa’s lap and roasting chestnuts; advent is about the process of preparing for the day we remember Christ’s birth.
What does this mean? Advent is, in many ways, a season of symbolism. Christmas represents the fulfilling of several prophecies of the Old Testament, including the scripture I’ve included from Malachi. The OT builds and builds and builds on the foreshadowing of Jesus’s birth, while the New Testament only adds to that literary function by including the details of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.
Advent is symbolic because it contributes to the theme that something great is coming. Hundreds of years of prophecies lead up to the angel Gabriel visiting the virgin Mary. As Mary discovers she is pregnant, as she navigates her betrothal to Joseph, as they travel for the census… All of these details only add to the joy of what is to come.
In Malachi, we read that God is planning on sending someone to fulfill what has been foretold. He doesn’t say when, which is why I find it perfectly acceptable that Mary may have been a bit surprised by Gabriel’s arrival. This season of advent, the end of the church calendar, it represents God’s love, and above all, His promise. Fulfillment is one of His specialties, one that we all would do well to remember.
In my walk with God this advent, I will not be focusing on shopping, budgeting, cooking, cleaning, or even decorating. My priority is simple: delving deeper into the gospel, praying for the understanding of its importance, and thanking Him for sending His only son for me and for all sinners. The miracle of his birth awaits, and again I speak the word that this season embodies: anticipation.