Advent is the season celebrating the four weeks leading up to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth. Many churches hold special services for each Sunday leading up to Christmas Day. Different traditions use different colored candles; however, the same meaning is present.
Depending on what church you go to will determine how many candles they use and what colors they use. Most churches use four candles — one for each week leading up to Christmas Day. Some churches use five candles, with the fifth candle being known as the Christ Candle, which is lit on Christmas Day.
The four candles are lit each week to show that light is coming into the world. This light is Jesus. Therefore, Advent candles are a way of looking forward to when Jesus lit up the dark world with His brilliant saving grace.
Even if your church does not practice Advent candles, they most likely do something leading up to the weeks of Christmas.
Advent is a special time because it covers the days leading up to the anniversary of Jesus’ birth into the world. As Christians, we do not need to overlook Advent, nor do we need to think it is not important.
By celebrating Advent, we are living in a way that would have been similar to the people of the Old Testament. These individuals were looking forward to the coming Messiah and eagerly praying He would come.
In the same way, by participating in Advent, we are eagerly counting down the days to when the Lord was born over two thousand years ago. Advent is an occasion we need to honor and include in our Christmas celebrations.
Many of us grow up with Advent calendars, but they fail to actually portray the true meaning of Advent and the true meaning of Christmas.
Rather than it being a countdown to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth, it is the countdown to the day you get presents and gifts. Even though this is a tradition in the modern world, it is something that is not biblical.
While there is nothing wrong with gifting our loved ones presents, this is not the true reason behind Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of the Lord’s first advent into the world and one day He will return again.
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1. The Meaning of Advent
One thing Christians should know about Advent is the true meaning behind it. Advent is not all about the countdown to a holiday full of presents, gifts, and fancy food.
Rather, the true meaning of Advent is found in the Lord, who humbled Himself by being born into the world.
Jesus deserved to be born into a place of prominence and power; however, He was born through the virgin birth to Mary. Jesus grew up, discipled many, and died for the sins of the world. From all time, Jesus was the Messiah (Luke 2:10-11).
Before Jesus had done anything, He was already declared to be the Messiah because that is who He is. This is crucial to remember as we are reflecting on Advent. Advent is not just “another” winter holiday nor is it a lesser holiday than Christmas.
In truth, Advent is just as important as Christmas because it is the anticipation leading up to when the Lord would have been born into the world.
When we see it this way, we can see the true meaning of Advent. This true meaning is displayed when churches light a candle each week leading up to Christmas,
They are honoring the Lord and bringing His Name glory as they are looking forward to the celebration of His birth into the world. Without the birth of Jesus into the world, we would have never been saved from our sins.
Jesus had to be born into the world of a virgin, grow up, live a sinless and perfect life, die the death we deserved, and be resurrected from the grave. This is what advent is all about — the infant that was born was going to grow up to save us from ourselves.
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2. The Main Focus of Advent Isn’t Advent Calendars
A second thing Christians should know about Advent is that the main focus of Advent is not Advent calendars. While Advent calendars are fun, they are not the driving force behind the holiday season.
As established, the driving force is celebrating the weeks leading up to the anniversary of Jesus’ birth. If you want to celebrate Advent with an Advent calendar, great! However, if you would prefer not to, that’s all right also.
Whichever you choose, it should be done with the surprise of glorifying Christ in your actions. If having an Advent calendar would get your mind off Jesus, it would be best to not have one.
On the other hand, if an Advent calendar helps point you to Jesus, then it would be great to have one. You know yourself and you know the things that help you better focus on Jesus throughout the year.
Advent gives us the perfect time to focus on Jesus and if an advent calendar helps you do this, by all means, use one this year. Advent calendars can be a lot of fun if used correctly.
Try to remember that the countdown is for the anniversary of Jesus’ first advent to the world — not a countdown to a day of presents.
If Advent calendars are not your thing, maybe you can do something special in the weeks leading up to Christmas. You could even do your own advent candles at home — just make sure you don’t leave the candles burning overnight.
Always make sure to extinguish the candles before leaving or going to sleep. You could even work on a project during the weeks leading up to Christmas and then little by little, you will see the completed work by the time Christmas comes around.
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3. You Can Use Advent as a Time to Grow Closer to God
A third thing Christians should know about Advent is that you can use Advent as a time to grow closer to God. Throughout the four weeks of Advent, you can work on building your relationship with God and growing closer to Him.
You might be surprised as to how much closer you will grow to God over the short span of four weeks. Give it a try this year and see if it helps your relationship with God and causes you to have a deeper relationship with Him.
As Christians, we need to have strong relationships with God. If we do not have a strong relationship with God, we are going to be more prone to follow sinful nature and to be tempted by the devil.
However, if we have a strong relationship with God, we will be able to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not fall prey to the threats of the sinful flesh or the temptations of Satan.
Advent is the perfect time to draw closer to God and build a stronger foundation of your faith. Building your relationship with God will help you in all areas of life.
Advent lasts four weeks every year. If you dedicate yourself to growing closer to God during this time, you will be able to be even more in awe when the anniversary of Jesus’ birth comes.
By strengthening your relationship with God, you will be more aware of Him, His character, and His love. You will be left to ponder all of His goodness and mercy in sending His Son to die for our sins.
Your friend, the Lord Jesus, whom you are talking to every day is the same person who descended to heaven to save you from your sins. Advent reminds us of this beautiful part of God’s plan of salvation.
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4. The Anticipation of Advent Does Not Have to Be Once a Year
The fourth thing Christians should know about Advent is that the anticipation does not have to be restricted to one time of the year. During Advent, we are eagerly looking forward to the days leading up to Christmas.
While this is a wonderful thing, we should be looking forward to celebrating Jesus every day of the year.
Do not restrict yourself to anticipating the wonder of the Lord to one time of the year. Jesus deserves all of our eager excitement as well as the celebration we will give Him when He returns.
We often isolate our worship of the Lord during Christmas and Easter. This should not be. Instead, we should be worshiping the Lord year-round. Our eager anticipation should not be strictly related to Advent.
Throughout the year, we eagerly look forward to the celebration of the Messiah. In this way, we will have an Advent spirit about us throughout the year.
We anticipate things we are excited about; however, it is a sad reality that not many of us anticipate the anniversary of the Lord’s birth until it is time for Advent to begin.
If you want to challenge yourself, try to allow a season of advent every month of the year or every other month of the year.
This way it can help you stay focused on the Lord throughout the year and look forward to the anniversary of Jesus’ birth.
Christmas should not be a materialistic holiday. Instead, it needs to be recognized and remembered for what it really is — the celebration of the Lord’s birth into the world. By anticipating advent throughout the year, we will be able to recognize and respect the Lord better.
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5. The First Advent Points Us to the Time of Jesus’ Second Advent
A fifth thing Christians should know about Advent is that the first advent of Christ points us to the time of Jesus’ second advent. The Lord’s second advent is also known as the Second Coming of Christ.
This is when Jesus will descend on the Mount of Olives and return to fight in the Battle of Armageddon. During this time, the Lord will defeat His enemies, and then the thousand-year reign will begin.
At the time of the first advent, Jesus came as a peaceful infant; however, when He returns the second time, He will return with a sword.
At the first Advent, Jesus came with peace and salvation, yet during His second advent, He will seek vengeance.
As Christians, we can look forward to this day because we know we will return with the Lord and fight against the works of evil in the Battle of Armageddon. Moreover, we will also live alongside Christ during the thousand years of Christ.
The second advent of Christ is something we can all look forward to and eagerly anticipate. Although we do not know when the Lord will return, we can be prepared. We can be prepared by knowing the gospel ourselves, accepting the Lord, and helping others come to know the Lord.
There are many rumors that the Lord’s second coming is coming soon; however, it is best to wait on the Lord. His timing will be perfect. The second advent of Christ will be more gruesome, but we also have to remember that the Lord is giving judgment to those who turned away from Him.
Advent is a beautiful holiday that points us to the second advent of Christ, helps us to think about Christ year-round, strengthens our relationship with the Lord, helps us to understand the main focus of Christmas, and helps us know the true meaning of Advent.
For further reading:
The Meaning and Symbolism of Advent Wreath and Candles
What Is the Obsession with Advent Calendars?
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Originally published Thursday, 30 November 2023.