So what is this thing called Advent. The beginning of the Church year is upon us as we see these four Sundays of Advent. The church year, however, is cyclical and continuous rather than forming a line with a beginning and an end. Advent flows smoothly and logically out of the end of the Time of The Church, with its emphasis on final things, as it flows into Christmas and Epiphany. "Advent" comes from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming." Adventus signifies the approach of someone of dignity, power, and glory, someone who has the power to bestow favor or exact penalties. The coming of God’s Son is, par excellence, such an adventus.

Advent is a time of expectation and hope. Advent unfolds the glory of Christ’s coming again so that we can comprehend the mercy and grace of His coming into our flesh. In this way we are made ready to offer praise to God at Christmas. An examination of the propers (the assigned readings, prayers introits, and psalms) shows us that the historical event of Christmas is the focus only for the fourth Sunday of the season. Advent 1 clearly sets forth the temporal and eternal consequences of Christ’s coming as Judge. Advent 2 and 3 present John the Baptist as the preacher for those who await the coming Kingdom. In our years of waiting, repentance and faith occupy us. Those are of course, the very necessary prerequisites for recognizing and accepting the Child born on Christmas as God’s Son.

Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas. Although the first three weeks of Advent clearly direct us toward Christ’s coming again at the end of time, there is a turning point after which we are directed toward preparation for Christmas. The beginning of the "Great O Antiphons" on December 17^th turns our hearts and minds in that direction the "Great O Antiphons" draw on the Old Testament to express Israel’s yearning for the Messiah. Israel’s faith and expectation are the models for our own waiting.

Advent is a time of patient waiting-a time to cultivate the gift of patience. We are a nation of people who desire instant gratification of our wants. This mindset is dramatically opposed to the spirit of Advent. For our society Advent is already the celebration of the secular Christmas. In Advent the church expresses its yearning for fulfillment, not the fulfillment itself. We cannot properly celebrate during the 12 days of Christmas what we have already celebrated in Advent. This is why the Lutheran Church encourages congregations and individuals to defer the use of Christmas hymns, carols, decorations trees, parties and services until the Christmas season. Patient waiting on God is a mark of the Christian. Faith permits us to know that God works in His own good time to fulfill His promises. Learning such patient waiting is a gift with which a proper observance of Advent can enrich God’s people.

My hope and prayer for us all is a rich faith and full understanding of the things God has given in and through His Son. As we prepare for our Lord’s second coming we do so with thanksgiving for His first coming. May the joy of the church year fill you with a patient expectation and hope of what is yet to come on Christ’s day.

Pastor Jim Hennig

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