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Early Winter 2018
on... Taking a Closer Look at the Advents
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The Advent. For our more liturgical friends it is our beautiful season of “waiting and preparing expectantly” to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This Sunday, December 2, marks the First of Four Advent Sundays. But wait, there’s more…
The word “Advent” is a term derived from the Latin “adventus” and refers to a kind of “coming.” As applied to the Christian faith the term was coined at some early date (it's a bit unclear as to the date exactly) to draw attention to the “coming” of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, that is, God “coming” to earth in flesh and blood, incarnate, entering as a baby born supernaturally to a young virgin Jewish woman, Almighty God Himself taking on a human historical genealogy in order to commence a redemptive plan for all ethnicities, all peoples, and yes, doing so at great risk to disease, dirt and danger — in a place we do know of as it had been prophesied centuries earlier, Bethlehem; in the fullness of time as later commented by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (4:4) happening sometime between 8-2 BCE, clearly in the midst of a world under Roman occupation and control. This was the First Advent of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
Advent also encompasses the idea of the “Second Coming of Christ,” as it’s developed and translated from the Greek word parousia seventeen of 24 times in the New Testament, referring to Jesus’ Second Coming generally rather than at any one specific moment in time. It is best observed in the entire discourse of Matthew 24 where The Parousia (as it’s called theologically) appears four times, listed below:
Matthew 24:3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…
Matthew 24:36-39 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
This aspect of Advent, Jesus' Second Coming, ought to be just as contemplated at every Christmas as our pondering of the wonder of that First Advent. Yes, we must never forget to allow His First Coming to grip our hearts in all its marvelous wonder, yet posturing our hearts to hold tight the truth of His Second Advent, quite possibly closer now than one might think.
Finally, and the crux of this reflection, there’s one more Advent needing mention…the Coming of Christ to those who make room for Him in the daily walk. You and I are called of God to make room for the coming of Jesus in our hearts each and every hour, to live the Advent every single moment of every day, giving thought and consideration to “His coming” in our daily experiences, whether work, play, shopping or eating. This is the walk of faith to which we are called.
First Thessalonians bears this out as Paul skillfully bridges the truth of The Parousia to the believer’s daily experience:
1 Thessalonians 3:13 …so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Blameless and holy hearts. Complete sanctification. Blameless spirits, souls and bodies. This is what God is aiming at in our lives when we invite Him freely to “come” do His work in our lives today. God is at work establishing and keeping the believer covered, protected and moving forward to a life of victory and freedom, and doing so right up to that great and awesome Second Advent Day when Jesus will come again. Do we see His victory in our lives? Has 2018 been a good year to see progress toward the goal of being conformed into His image? As the month of December 2018 begins let’s decide to take some special moments during this month to be with the Lord to meditate on the Advents of Christ, preparing our hearts for the Christmas Season as well as New Year 2019 so that this coming year might be the best year yet for every one of us. Even so, “Come Lord Jesus!”
The word “Advent” is a term derived from the Latin “adventus” and refers to a kind of “coming.” As applied to the Christian faith the term was coined at some early date (it's a bit unclear as to the date exactly) to draw attention to the “coming” of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, that is, God “coming” to earth in flesh and blood, incarnate, entering as a baby born supernaturally to a young virgin Jewish woman, Almighty God Himself taking on a human historical genealogy in order to commence a redemptive plan for all ethnicities, all peoples, and yes, doing so at great risk to disease, dirt and danger — in a place we do know of as it had been prophesied centuries earlier, Bethlehem; in the fullness of time as later commented by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (4:4) happening sometime between 8-2 BCE, clearly in the midst of a world under Roman occupation and control. This was the First Advent of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
Advent also encompasses the idea of the “Second Coming of Christ,” as it’s developed and translated from the Greek word parousia seventeen of 24 times in the New Testament, referring to Jesus’ Second Coming generally rather than at any one specific moment in time. It is best observed in the entire discourse of Matthew 24 where The Parousia (as it’s called theologically) appears four times, listed below:
Matthew 24:3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…
Matthew 24:36-39 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
This aspect of Advent, Jesus' Second Coming, ought to be just as contemplated at every Christmas as our pondering of the wonder of that First Advent. Yes, we must never forget to allow His First Coming to grip our hearts in all its marvelous wonder, yet posturing our hearts to hold tight the truth of His Second Advent, quite possibly closer now than one might think.
Finally, and the crux of this reflection, there’s one more Advent needing mention…the Coming of Christ to those who make room for Him in the daily walk. You and I are called of God to make room for the coming of Jesus in our hearts each and every hour, to live the Advent every single moment of every day, giving thought and consideration to “His coming” in our daily experiences, whether work, play, shopping or eating. This is the walk of faith to which we are called.
First Thessalonians bears this out as Paul skillfully bridges the truth of The Parousia to the believer’s daily experience:
1 Thessalonians 3:13 …so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Blameless and holy hearts. Complete sanctification. Blameless spirits, souls and bodies. This is what God is aiming at in our lives when we invite Him freely to “come” do His work in our lives today. God is at work establishing and keeping the believer covered, protected and moving forward to a life of victory and freedom, and doing so right up to that great and awesome Second Advent Day when Jesus will come again. Do we see His victory in our lives? Has 2018 been a good year to see progress toward the goal of being conformed into His image? As the month of December 2018 begins let’s decide to take some special moments during this month to be with the Lord to meditate on the Advents of Christ, preparing our hearts for the Christmas Season as well as New Year 2019 so that this coming year might be the best year yet for every one of us. Even so, “Come Lord Jesus!”
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