I am constantly wondering about where ideas and concepts come from. We know from the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes that nothing is new under the sun, which always takes me on a journey of finding the origins of things. Advent is no different.
Have you ever wondered where Advent came from? Was it developed long ago by Mary the mother of Jesus or His half brother James? Have you ever considered the purpose of Christmas? Has it always been about gifts and tinsel, hot chocolate and Scrooge?
It may surprise you that Advent didn't begin in Bethlehem at the birth of the Christ King who was named Jesus. It was not begun by the Magi or the Shepherds and it wasn't around in the time of the apostles. In fact the celebration of Christmas was not even part of the early church calendar of feasts and celebration. This may come as a surprise to many of us but the focus of the early church was not on Christ's birth but on His death and resurrection.
Christmas showed up in mid 4th century. It was developed out of a reaction to the winter solstice celebration and worship of Sol Invictus. The winter solstice is actually on December 21st, but the effort was still clear, re-emphasize the light of Christ as the pinnacle of glory, shadowing the pagan rite of the solstice. The celebration of Sol Invictus was designed to lure the sun back into the northern hemisphere. You see there was a fear every year that the sun would disappear entirely if the god of the sun, Sol Invictus, was not convinced to return. Christmas was brought about as the celebration of Christ's birth, the celebration of the true God incarnate, fully man and fully God, the Christ child who was The light of the world.
Advent came about a few centuries later to emphasize beyond a simple celebration of the birth of Christ, His second coming. This is why we look beyond the present into the future as much or more than we take time to look to the past in celebration of Christ's first coming.
The Advent story is an exciting growing understanding of our need for Christ not only as we celebrate what has come to pass two centuries ago but also the Christ of our present and the second coming of Jesus.
We will often celebrate Advent in our churches and in our homes with a wreath and candles. These two have meaning. The wreath has long since been a symbol of the eternal nature of God. The candles that we light have had different evolving meanings. What is believed to be the first of many different traditions was the celebration of the comings of Christ:
- Jesus coming as a baby.
- Jesus coming to us personally.
- Jesus coming at each saints death.
- Jesus' second coming yet to be seen.
This tradition still continues today in churches and homes celebrating Advent. Additionally, there have been several other newer traditions that have emerged throughout the years including a focus on lament, preparation, hope, joy, peace, love, and purity to name only a few.
How have you celebrated Advent as a church or family? I would love to hear from you so leave a comment and join the conversation.
