We
look forward to enjoying Him during this season of eager anticipation
and celebration!
What
is Advent?
We
have spent weeks considering the Old Testament as shadow and Christ
as substance. We have looked at Eve who anticipated a
God-child, from her own children, that would restore her back to the
garden. We have considered the generations of God's people, who
for thousands of years, looked foward, anticipated, and ached to be
restored to their Creator. Imagine the anticipation.
As
we celebrate advent, we are doing just that: waiting, anticipating,
expecting, aching, and longing. But we don’t wait as the
world waits. We do not eagerly anticipate and put our hope in
presents, family gatherings, or even the day of celebration itself.
Our hope is Jesus. And during Advent, we celebrate the
fulfillment of the promises of old – that God has given us a way to
draw near to Him in and through the person of Jesus.
Advent
is what we call the season leading up to Christmas. It begins four
Sundays before December 25. Sometimes that falls on the last
week of November and sometimes it is the first Sunday in December.
This year it begins December 2.
Advent
means “coming”. Advent is a time to look back and remember
the thousands of years that God’s people waited and longed for
God’s salvation. It is even more of a time to look forward to
the second coming of God’s Son. We ache, long, and wait for
Christ with the same anticipation Israel had. We desire to be
with Him for eternity. So we celebrate Christ’s coming during
the Christmas season.
So
how do we celebrate rightly?
Come,
thou long expected Jesus,
Born
to set thy people free;
From
our fears and sins release us,
Let
us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s
strength and consolation,
Hope
of all the earth thou art;
Dear
desire of every nation,
Joy
of every longing heart.
Born
thy people to deliver,
Born
a child and yet a King,
Born
to reign in us forever,
Now
thy gracious kingdom bring.
By
thine own eternal spirit
Rule
in all our hearts alone;
By
thine all sufficient merit,
Raise
us to thy glorious throne.
“Let
us find our rest in thee.” Even when you’re doing good
things with your family, if you miss that Christ has come and will
come again, you miss the most good that this season has to offer.
In
a season God intended for us to rest in Christ, we find ourselves in
a world that speeds up. But we must not loose sight that He is
our rest in this season of hustle and bustle. We encourage you
to slow down, and enjoy Him. Sit with your families, and strip
the distractions away from the most important thing this season has
to offer: Christ.
Advent
2012
This
year our church family will be engaging Advent together each week in
December. The hope in engaging the Advent season in this way is
to awaken the angst of waiting, longing, and yearning for Christ; to
feel the ancient angst of Israel and allow that to inform our own
anticipation. Each week we will engage the following themes:
Week
1
Prophecy,
Promises, and Patience: The Shadow of Creation to Passover
Week
2
Waiting
Faithfully for Advent: The Shadow of Priesthood to Prophets
Week
3
Promises
Fulfilled. Incarnation Implications
Week
4
Waiting
Faithfully at Peace with God
Week
5
Waiting
Faithfully at Peace with Man
As
you prepare for Sunday, we encourage you to read through the Luke
account of Christ's birth in Luke 1-2. In the weeks to come, we
will be connecting the preached Word with some follow-up Family
Devotional Guides that you can use daily. We plan to do that as
a continuing thread of emails from this message. It is our hope
that you will be able to use these guides to equip and engage your
families. As you think about and plan for the coming weeks,
prayerfully consider what you want this season of Advent to be marked
by for your family. What do you want your children to value and
remember? How will you be intentional in guarding their time,
attention, and affections so that Jesus is the focus?
