Advent

On Sunday, December 3, we enter Advent, the season of preparation that looks forward to the coming of Jesus. From a very early time in the Church’s history, Christians began to practice seasons of preparation before the great feasts. The thought was simple—we need to purposefully prepare ourselves so that we are ready for an encounter with Jesus. The two seasons of preparation (Advent and Lent) look forward to the two great feasts (Christmas and Easter). In both instances, the Church taught that preparing ourselves meant fasting and prayer.
 
The fast of Advent is not a deep or severe fast. It is not driven by penitence, but instead by patience, hope, and expectation. It is like waiting for a wedding banquet, which we would hardly prepare for by eating too much cheap food. Instead, we wait in modest fasting, with joy and expectation, because a feast is coming. The certainty of Christmas offers us the ability to wait in patience and hope.
 
But it is the return of Christ, not Christmas, that we are ultimately waiting for in Advent. The first coming is proof that the second will also arrive, and our joyful waiting for Christmas should prepare us for Christ’s return. More than anything, this is the season of the year when we should cultivate a patient longing and hope for the second coming of Christ.
 
Prayer in Advent should be marked by this expectation. Every prayer should be grounded in the fact that Christ will come again and restore all things. Every reading should be considered from the standpoint, “What will this mean when Christ returns?” The season offers us a particular form of discipleship—discipleship in waiting. It should be the season where, even as we learn hopeful patience, our hearts fill with the prayer, “Lord, I long for your return! Please prepare me to celebrate your arrival!”
 
In order to help the people of Incarnation prepare for the coming of Christ, we have put together a devotional guide. A digital copy is available here, and physical copies will be at church on Sunday. Feel free to share them with friends and family!
 
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