ADVENT FOR ADULTS #1
December 1st … 24 NIGHTS TIL CHRISTMAS
THE BEGINNING…
One of the more “Christian” traditions at Christmas in our house was the Advent Calendar. Every evening after supper we would gather for “devotions”, which at Christmastime included opening that day’s door on the Advent Calendar. At our house the Calendar was actually a wooden house with twenty-five doors, one door for every day from the first to the twenty-fifth. The children would take turns opening the little door for that day, taking out the “thought of the day” and the little surprise that went with it.
While many “Christmas” traditions have very little to do with the actual “Christmas story” in Luke Chapter Two, (the story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem which will be the focal point for these essays ) the very idea of an advent calendar certainly has real significance in Christianity, because it is the process of marking the days in anticipation of Christmas.
When you think about it, the secularization of our society— for instance the prevalence of atheism and Evolution— has almost eradicated the concept of anticipating anything as delightful as the promises surrounding Christmas.
Before I go on, let me say a little bit about the Christmas season. The Christian celebration of Christmas was never a God-ordained holiday like the seven feasts that the Jewish people celebrate throughout the year. The Hebrews were actually ordered by God to celebrate these feasts— for instance Passover was ordained in Exodus 12:14 “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.”
There’s no mention of Christmas in the Bible. Does this mean we shouldn’t celebrate it? Certainly not! There’s also no mention of Hanukah in the Bible, and yet the Jewish people celebrate this holiday— “the festival of lights”— every year around Christmas-time, in commemoration of the rededication of the Jewish temple in 165 BC. So there is no reason why God’s people can’t celebrate a very special event in history!
And of course the most special event of ALL of history is the fulfillment of the birth of the Messiah— the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world! (More about this later.)
But first let’s talk about “advent”. The dictionary definition of “advent” is “a coming or arrival, especially of something infrequent or unusually important: i.e., the advent of a new era, the advent of space exploration.” Definitely the birth of Jesus Christ is of unusual importance. What makes this an especially significant event is because the birth of the Messiah is the first of the two most anticipated events in all of human history. In the third chapter of the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, (Genesis 3:15) we are told that one day a man will be born of the race of Adam who will destroy the power of the One who caused the Fall. He (this man) will bruise the head of the serpent— the devil— who tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. Since that moment to this, the whole human race has had to suffer fear, hardship, disease, aging and death because of the Curse. And one day that curse will be lifted completely— and all because of that little baby born in a manger in Bethlehem!
Of course, I mentioned TWO anticipated events. We now know that the first event— or more precisely, advent— has already taken place. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas, the first advent.
But Christmas is more than just looking back—it is also very much a looking forward. Just as a little child can’t sleep the night before Christmas because of the anticipation, the hope and joy of Christmas day, we Christians look forward to that second advent— when this Saviour of the whole world will return and set all things to rights!
This is why I think it might be a good time to start an Adult Advent Calendar. I know how busy we all are. I know it’s probably insane to think we could add one more thing to the day. But really, beloved, is it really such a chore to add the Biblical significance of the season— the whole point and purpose of Christmas— to the end of our busy days?
And when I say busy, I’m especially aware I’m writing to adults. This being the case, I’ll end this first Advent Devotional with the promise that with God’s help, I’ll include perspectives that may even bring jaded, sceptical adults to their knees.