As the liturgical year winds down and the new one begins, we start to consider that overlap of the old and the new, the First Advent and the Second Advent. We see how the message isn't really any different. In both cases we are waiting. The only real distinction is that we who live after the First Advent know that Christ has truly come, that He has truly died and risen again, and that He will return. This life in-between is governed by these two Advents.
The liturgical cycle that begins at Advent goes through the life of Christ. As disciples of Christ through our baptism, that is what we are called to do. We follow Christ from beginning to end, at least as far as that pertains to history of this world. That's why the Advent season is important. We know Christ did not spring into existence on Christmas morning. Jesus, the Son of God, always has been and always will be. That means part of Christ's life in this world has been in preparation for His coming birth.
All of those years of waiting for a savior are hard to imagine, not just because the culture and lifestyles are different, but because it means putting ourselves back into a time before that promise was fulfilled. These days there are people who choose not to celebrate Christmas because the holiday has no real meaning for them. Jesus has no special significance to many in the world. The days we relive in Advent are different. Back then, celebrating Christmas wasn't an option because the event it commemorates hadn't taken place.
It's easy to dismiss this time as just one of remembrance. We recall all of the prophecies. We marvel at how God brings it all together at the proper place and time. We think about what this child will later accomplish. We gather around the manger for a week or so before catapulting into His later life and the beginning of His ministry.
It's unfortunate that we treat Advent this way, because the season of Advent is as definitive for Christian life as the Easter season is. The Easter season reminds that Christ has triumphed over sin and death. Our eternity in God's kingdom is assured. Yet, for all of the wonderful benefits we receive through Christ's death and resurrection, we find ourselves doing the very same thing those in the Old Testament did. We wait for the Savior.
We know He will come, just as He did before. We know God will fulfill His promise, just like He did before. Those who waited for Him the first time did so on the evidence of all of the work God had done in the past. In that way, we are no different. We make use of the season of Advent, not because we need time to set up Christmas decorations and sing the nice Advent and Christmas hymns and all of the other church traditions you might find. The season of Advent is important because it reminds that we are still waiting. Like the faithful of old, each day is a day we wake up and remember today could be the day. Each day when we go to bed we remember that, though He didn't come today, He will. He promised and God always makes good on His promises. Advent keeps us focused and our attention fixed firmly on the future. God has given us many wonderful blessings and we are thankful for them, but He isn't done yet. There is much more to come.
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