Why Do We Celebrate Advent?

Advent means ‘coming’, and it is the time when Christians look forward to Jesus coming to our earth as a baby in a manger. We celebrate Advent in the four weeks before Christmas, beginning with the four-week Sunday before Christmas. Christians of all different denominations celebrate it.

Ways to Celebrate Advent

There are many different ways to celebrate Advent, including the famous chocolate Advent calendar, which increases excitement for both the elderly and the young. In this blog, we will first look at who celebrates Advent, followed by some tips on how we can celebrate as well as the benefits of marking Advent. Hope.

Lighting the Advent wreath is a custom that began with Lutherans and Catholics in 16th century Germany. Many churches still do it today. Usually, the Advent wreath is a wreath of branches or wreaths with four or five candles arranged on the wreath. During Advent, we light a candle on a wreath every Sunday as part of the Advent ceremonies. The blue wreath symbolizes the constant light of Christ.

The first purple candle

On the first Sunday, we light the first purple candle, which symbolizes the hope people felt before Jesus was born. The second Sunday, we light the second purple candle, which symbolizes faith. We light the pink candle on the third Sunday, symbolizing joy. The last purple candle is lit on the fourth Sunday, symbolizing the coming of Jesus Christ. On Christmas Eve, the last white candle is lit. It is placed in the center of the wreath and represents the purity of Jesus and that He came into the world without sin.

Who celebrates Advent?

Many of us celebrate Advent to some extent, with counting down the days and sleeping until the most exciting day of all – Christmas. Most Christians see candles being lit in churches and counting down the days, but how can we observe this sacred time to look forward to the return of Jesus in the coming days? my house?

What if we could celebrate Advent in a way that sheds light on the meaning of Christmas and that gives us space between businesses to remember the reason for the Christmas season?

How can we celebrate Advent?

One great book that I highly recommend is Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp. Here’s a guide on how you can create your own Jesse Tree, helping to discover the genealogy of Jesus. It is a wonderful meditation to spend in Advent with readings that you can do with your family each day.

Advent begins in the dark. Like the flickering flame of a candle, the hope of a savior’s arrival began to wane. Creating a space to mark Advent is like an antidote to the physical side of Christmas, with all the business, socializing and shopping. Advent speaks of hope. But it also speaks of waiting, stillness and peace amid the tides swirling around us.

Read on for a simple guide on how to spend time during Advent.

1. Make space

First of all, make time each day. Even if you and your family only get together for ten minutes a day, do your best to take this time to reflect on the big story going on around you.

2. Use A Devotion

Second, it can be really helpful to use a prayer to guide your thoughts. As I mentioned, you can find free Advent devotions online, or you can use Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift as a guide.

3. Light a candle

Finally, why not light a candle in memory of the light of the world that has come down to our world to bring us salvation?

Five verses of the Bible Hope For Advent

A Wonderful Light

“Those who walk in the dark
saw a great light”
(Isaiah 9:2)

And Jesus is that wonderful light. He is the hope for the whole world, today and every day.

A child is born

“For us a child is born,
give us a son to be given,
and the government will be on your shoulders.”
(Isaiah 9:6)

How wonderful is it to think of that little baby coming into this world, at once a child and Almighty God?

A shot from a tree stump by Jesse

A bud will grow from the base of Jesse’s tree.
(Isaiah 11:1)

Jesus is the hope where there is no hope. In Isaiah’s vision, he describes a wasteland, representing Israel in the midst of the Assyrian invasion. But then in the midst of the wilderness, a green bud. And from this desperate situation, Jesus, the savior of the world, appeared. Eugene Peterson has a great essay on this in his book When Kingfishers Catch Fire, titled “The Origin of Jesse.” Burning hope comes from a situation that seems like nothing at all.

The Word became flesh

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

This question never ceases to amaze me. Jesus is the Word. He is something that cannot be obtained by faith. He descended into our dark world and took on flesh to walk with His beloved children.

His kingdom will never end

She will conceive, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus […] His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

Mary’s faith amazes me in this passage. Here she is, an unmarried woman, and she was chosen by God to give birth to a savior. She believed at once, and then the promise was expressed in her body. She believed and she saw.

And the kingdom of Jesus will never end. This is why it is so wonderful to place our hope in Jesus. When the world around us is shaking, He is trustworthy, loyal, and almighty. His kingdom will never end. Amen.

create space

So, in the end, may you find time this year to make room for holiness amid madness, for waiting and anticipation. May the joy of hope overwhelm you as you await once more the miracle of Jesus’ coming in this fallen world, as a helpless baby, to bring them back. light and eternal life. Amen.

Why not check out our other Christmas blogs to help you reflect on the deeper meaning of this season?

Mike Labrum’s photo on Unsplash

Zoran Kokanovic’s photo on Unsplash