School has wrapped up and it’s mid-December, which means we are well into Advent Season. But have you ever wondered what exactly Advent is? At this time of year, I’m almost sure you’ve seen an Advent calendar somewhere if you don’t have one yourself. But why do we call it “Advent” and what is the importance of this time of year?
The season of Advent refers to the time leading up to the celebration of Christ’s incarnation. It traditionally begins four Sundays before Christmas Day, which this year was December 3rd. Usually, there is one focus topic per week: hope, peace, joy, and love. Sometimes, peace and joy are combined, and preparation is used as the second week. Other times, the order is hope, faith, joy, and peace.
No matter which themes you choose to focus on, they all have the same overarching message: the anticipation and celebration of Jesus’ arrival and the peace he brings to everyone. My church used hope, peace, joy, and love this year, so those are the topics I’m going to write about for this post.
Hope
This year, our church took a look at Revelation 22 to talk about hope. Verse 20 of this chapter reads, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Hope is not some abstract wish. Hope is relying on a promise from God and knowing it will happen because He said it will. As Christians, our greatest hope comes from knowing and relying on the fact that Jesus will come again.
Peace
A great passage about peace is Philippians 4:4-9. In this passage, verse 7 reads, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God is not necessarily something that makes everything easy and simple; rather, it “transcends all understanding.” It is a feeling that comes with knowing you are the child of God and that He is taking care of you.
Joy
Psalm 118:24-29 is a wonderful passage about joy. The Psalmist isn’t joyful because God granted him a long list of requests. Instead, he says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The Psalmist is rejoicing simply because the Lord has made this day. Joy doesn’t come from what we have; it comes from our hope in the Lord and what He has already done.
Love
The passage I chose for love demonstrates the amazing love God has for us. Romans 8:37-39 concludes with, “[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God’s love is eternal and unconditional, and we can’t do anything to be separated from it. We haven’t earned it in any way, yet He loves us simply because we are His children.
All these Advent themes have a similar idea embedded in them. None of them depend on our circumstances. Rather, even when things don’t seem to be working in our favor, and we feel there is no hope or peace in our lives, God’s love provides for us. We have hope, joy, and peace through the work He has already done for us because of His love for us. Merry Christmas!
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