Advent – 2020

The celebration of Advent dates all the way back to the early centuries of the church.  It is believed to have been first mentioned around the time of the Council of Sargossa in AD 380.  It is likely that Advent was initiated in response to the heretical ideas of Gnosticism and Manichaeanism (both having a dualistic focus of the world).  Advent was likely conceived to be a balance and focus on the blessings and glories of the incarnation of Jesus into the world as a babe, to live as a man and ultimately die in our place as a sacrifice for our sins.

Advent consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Each year, those Sundays are different; but the focus throughout remains the same – Jesus first Advent should be celebrated, but we must also remember there will be a second Advent. Jesus is coming again! 

Throughout the four weeks, colors have significance, the songs we sing have significance and ultimately it all is intended to point us with more focus and intention to Jesus. The four Sundays each focus on a specific aspect of Advent: 1 – Preparation, 2 – Anticipation, 3 – Joy, 4 – Incarnation.  Each week we read together from four different place in Scripture and those readings change focus by year.  This year, we are reading from Isaiah, the Psalms, the Gospel of Mark and the Epistles.

This is the season of Advent in my mind – an anticipation of the coming Messiah, the one who will set His people free!  He will rescue them!  It’s about Anticipation and Expectation and that expectation just keeps growing until it seems to be at an almost fevered pitch!  Take some time this year to focus in on the reality the Savior has come into the world and that he will indeed come again.

As an aside: several years ago now, during the Christmas season, I wrote out a plan for working through the advent season each year over a period of five years.  It is a blessing to have had the privilege of walking through the amazing reminder of Advent over the past five years at Graceway. You can track where we have been together over the past five years in the sermon series attached below.

Merry Christmas and Keep Looking Up!

We will see him soon!