It has been a long day and I almost forgot to do day 7's blog... So I've just whipped this together with the help of thefreedictionary.com and my favourite wikipedia (and a little bit of bible knowledge)...
ad·vent
n.1. The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.
2. Adventa. The liturgical period preceding Christmas, beginning in Western churches on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and in Eastern churches in mid-November, and observed by many Christians as a season of prayer, fasting, and penitence.
b. Christianity The coming of Jesus at the Incarnation.
c. Christianity The second coming of Christ.
Advent comes from the latin adventus meaning coming or arrival. It applies to this time of year, as Christmas represents the advent (coming) of Christ in the world. His birth was the arrival of God as man, and what is called the first coming of Jesus.
To the church, Advent is a time of hopeful yearning and anticipation for the celebration of Christ's birth. The lead-up to the first Christmas meant that people held on to the promises given by the prophets and John the Baptist. Promises that told them there was one that would come to save them from the injustice and oppression that sin brought to the world. At Christ's advent (arrival) people knew that they had not hoped in vain. Today Advent is celebrated in the lead-up to Christmas for all the hope that it represents in awaiting the first arrival of Christ.
He was sent as "Messiah", which means saviour, rescuer, liberator, champion, knight in shining armour. Now this is what fairy tales are about. When our "knight in shining armour" arrived, the promise of being delivered from the evils of the world was fulfilled, and we had cause to celebrate.
Advent not only points to Christ's arrival as a baby born to a virgin in a barn in the middle of nowhere as God on earth, but also to his next arrival ~ his second coming. Advent is a time to praise Christ for the fact that he will come back again, and walk with us in a new earth, free from pain, hurt, deterioration, loneliness, and the guilt that comes from sin.
Advent merges the Easter story with the Christmas story.
It is a time to remember what he did to make our place in the new earth possible. A new earth where there will not be the separation from our creator that sin causes us here. A creator who made us, knows us (better than we do), and loves us despite the fact that we didn't want his love.
In many churches it is a time for people to fast and to prepare themselves to celebrate the anniversary of Christ's arrival as God incarnate (as a man). Christ was a gift to us to rid the earth of injustice, yet it is not fair to ask him to do that without allowing him to be a fair judge.
On his second advent (arrival) the judgement of God on the sin in our world will touch every person, and so advent should be a celebration for those who Christ has saved from that judgement, and for those who haven't accepted Christ as their knight in shining armour, it is a time to consider if you are ready for when the second Advent comes.
It is the fairy-tale of my life. The one with a happy ending. Where forever starts now. Where I walk hand in hand with the one who loves me.
