What is Advent?
I must admit I spent the first 8-9 years of my life participating in Advent in the Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, OH. After our move to Mason, OH, we started attending churches that didn’t use Advent in their celebration of the birth of Jesus. As I rededicated my life to Christ in 2007, I was taught that traditions of man are to be avoided like the plague. Anything that isn’t explicit in the Scriptures shouldn’t find a place in your walk with Christ. I now find this concept antithetical to the Bible, Jesus’ interaction with customs, and Jesus’ interaction with traditions.
Traditions of man can be anything not explicitly implicated in the text of Scripture. The Scripture doesn’t tell us to brush our teeth, yet we do so without any fear of that tradition bringing judgement from God. We also see Jesus teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath reading from a traditional reading cycle, as was the custom. We see another example of Jesus in the Temple courts during Hanukkah (the Festival of Dedication), which is a cultural holiday, not a Scriptural one. I encourage people to study the Scriptures for themselves and walk in community that affords them and pushes them towards walking out their faith with fear and trembling, not uniformity and aggressive submission.
Advent is something I believe should be reconsidered by many who hold to a whole Bible theology.
WHAT IS ADVENT?
The four weeks leading up to the birth of Christ is called the Advent season. It is a four-week season that can be traced back to the fourth century in modern Spain and Europe. The first official mention of Advent practices was from the Council of Sargossa in AD 380. Unlike modern Advent ceremonies, historical Advent celebrations incorporated two main focuses, Christ in the flesh, and Christ’s second coming.
In earlier celebrations of Advent, the church would focus the first two weeks on the second coming of Christ, and for the last two weeks, they would transition to Christ in the manger. Advent was one event that held a dual meaning on the early church’s liturgical calendar – one of the coming Jesus and the birth of Jesus.
While modern Advent gatherings are somewhat unique to Protestant evangelicalism, part of the increase in more modern celebrations of Advent is the war on the role of Jesus in the Christmas celebration. Rather than going to war with secular and religious entities, Advent attempts to focus and direct the hearts of believers on Jesus as the King of Kings in that season.
Today, Christians across many different denominational lines celebrate Advent as the anticipated arrival of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and King of Kings. It is a time to meditate and reflection on hope, love, peace, and joy. While the Advent customs vary from household to household, it is a time for all to focus on Jesus and His arrival to this earth as our hope!
WHAT DOES ADVENT MEAN?
The word Advent means “arrival.” The word is used to signify the arrival of a person or the start of an event. Advent on the church’s liturgical calendar is known as a four-week season of remembering and celebrating the arrival of Jesus to Earth. Jesus’ arrival would usher in a revolutionary New Covenant and hope for the Messianic King and Kingdom. Advent is a time to reflect on the humble birth of Jesus and to unify as His children in anticipation of His second coming reuniting the Heavens and the Earth for the final time.
IS ADVENT IMPORTANT TO US?
Advent is not a commandment in the Scriptures. It is a custom created to help refocus and heighten the season of the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It is a simple, yet profound tradition celebrated by Christians across different denominational lines. There is never a bad time to share together in meditation, celebration, and prayer for the arrival and memorialization of the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
While I know that many Messianic believers do not celebrate Christmas and thus would immediately throw out any value in Advent, I would strongly encourage you to look at incorporating elements of Advent in your season of Hanukkah. It appears Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” fits in this application. The Festival of Dedication and Light for believers of Jesus is a time to let our Jesus light shine for all to see and rededicate our temples to the King of all. For those who do celebrate Christmas, it is a great time to rally your family together and focus your hearts and minds on what Jesus’ arrival and second coming are – our hope at being restored from our sinful nature to God and that Jesus lowering himself in a humble birth shows us true and Godly leadership.
HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE ADVENT?
Advent holds multiple different traditions. In more ancient celebrations, it was broken up into two sections. The first two weeks were spent celebrating Jesus’ promise to come again and restore Heaven and Earth. The second two weeks were spent focusing in on the birth of Jesus as the Son of God and Jewish Messiah.
In other celebrations of Advent, the focus is on hope, love, peace, and joy. Each one of these Spiritual fruits is dedicated to a specific week.
People also light Advent candles, prepare wreaths, hold special weekly church services, and have specific reading plans for Scriptures leading up to Christmas.
To date, I have never celebrated Advent with my family. I am not sure you could say that we will have a traditional celebration this year either. We will be utilizing the four weeks leading into Christmas as a time to focus in on hope, love, peace, and joy that we have found in Jesus’s arrival and His second coming. We will probably do this in September-October next year as well leading into the Feast of Tabernacles celebration with our home church here at HFF. I no longer want to practice throwing out customs or traditions just because someone didn’t like it or is hurt by the church.
While I don’t believe the book of Maccabees to be a part of Holy Scripture as it didn’t make the Biblical cannon it is important to point out that the book of Maccabees suggests that Hanukkah was a delayed celebration of Sukkot. So, for the roots based believers of Christianity who celebrated Jesus’ birth at Sukkot this is another tie from Sukkot to Hanukkah and a possible link to celebrate an Advent like celebration leading into either holiday.
Any custom or tradition that doesn’t take away from the commandments and points towards a closer walk with Jesus is one I humbly ask you to prayerfully explore. We all need more Jesus in our life!
Advent Resources-
- Advent for Everyone: A Journey through Luke by NT Wright
- Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge
- On the Incarnation by Athanasius; with forward by C.S. Lewis
- Readings for Advent and Christmas by a collection of writers