` On the Advent of Our King

On the Advent of Our King



On the Advent of Our King

And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us...(John 1:14)

Advent. It is a word that we know has something to do with Christmas, but we’re not sure what. When we think of Advent, often we think of Advent calendars, counting the days until Christmas, trying to get all of the Christmas shopping done (gasp!), and maybe trying to make it to church on Wednesday nights. But what is Advent really all about?

Advent, for one thing, marks the beginning of the new Church Year. Advent comes from two Latin words (ad and venire) and means “to come to”. It is the time when we think about Christ coming to earth.

What was it that caused Christ to come to earth to dwell among us (Jn. 1:14)? In a word, it was sin that caused Christ to come down and become one of us. Christ came down to earth to save us from our sin.

Because it was our sin that caused Christ to come down to earth, Advent is traditionally a penitential season. By that I mean it is a time when we pause to reflect on our sin and God’s great love for us in redeeming us from this sin. The other penitential season in the Church Year is lent. During Advent, for instance, we hold off from doing the Gloria (Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace…) in the liturgy. 

Advent, however, has a lot of competition. The commercial world does not want us in a reflective mood. They do not want us thinking about our sin. It is hard for us to stay focused on the cause of Christ’s coming (our sin) during Advent.   Because of that, often it is hard to appreciate what Christ’s coming means for us (our salvation). We would rather skip the penitence and get right to the celebration!

The second part to Advent has to do with Christ’s Second Coming. Just like He came to earth the first time, so we know that He will come again. When Christ comes the Second Time, He will come again as our King and our Judge. Because He came the first time, we do not have to fear when He comes the second time. 

So what can we do to slow down, and make Advent a part of our daily lives? One thing we can do is come to church on Wednesday night. This is an opportunity for us to sit and reflect on God’s Word. We will have the chance to ponder together many of these questions, and learn from Him about why He came to earth. Maybe, for just a little while, we can forget all of the commercials, all of the ads, all of the stuff about the worldly Christmas today, and remember what the first Christmas (the real Christmas) means for us.

We can also pray. We can pray that our Lord would open our hearts and minds to understand His Son, Jesus Christ. Pray that we might forsake our sin and the darkness of the world, and look to Him, our true Light.

Finally, we can ponder His Word. In church on the First Sunday of Advent you will find an Advent devotion for you to use at home. Try it. It won’t take long, and it will help to bring into focus what it means that Christ would come to earth as a poor, little baby.

Being a Christian is not an easy thing. It is seasons like Advent that remind us of Who He is, what He did, and what that means for us today. May this Advent season be a time of penitence and joy for you and your family.

Stir up, we implore you, your power, O Lord, and come that by your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and be saved by your mighty deliverance; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

+ The Lord be with you +

Pastor Peperkorn

From the December 1999 Messiah’s Messenger
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This page was created on 02/08/2007 and last edited on: 02/08/2007
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