Meaning of Advent

THE MEANING OF ADVENT

I want to talk about the meaning of the Church's season of Advent which lasts for four Sundays.

Now, it is no good going for your Concordance and looking up the word ‘Advent’ in the Bible, because you will not find it. The word 'Advent' comes from the Latin word 'adventus’ which means, 'coming' or 'arrival'. And the 'coming' or 'arrival', which the season of Advent is about, is the arrival of Christ, both at the first Christmas, and also at the end of time.

Advent, then, is a time when the church invites us to prepare for the coming of Christ.

Advent is a penitential season of the church's year. It is a time when we are invited to examine our lives and to see what might hinder the coming of Christ into our lives.

The word that echoes throughout the season, in both the scriptural readings and hymns, is the word 'repent.' ‘Repent' means not just to be sorry but to turn around and make a fresh start, so that, when Christ comes, he may find in us a place prepared for him. If you like, it is a time when we prepare the stable of our hearts ready for Christ to be reborn in us anew.

This theme of penitence is expressed in our worship in various ways.

For instance, the vestments which the priest wears when he celebrates the Eucharist are purple in colour.

It is also a tradition for there to be no flowers in church during Advent.

And the Gloria is omitted in the Eucharist.

Even the music is rather sober, as you recall the tunes to:

Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding;

'Christ is nigh’, it seems to say.

On Jordan's bank the Baptist’s cry

Announces that the Lord is nigh,

Lo , he comes with clouds descending,

once for favoured sinners slain.

Hark the glad sound the Saviour comes,

The Saviour promised long.

And then there is that tune which sounds like a funeral dirge to:

Sleepers wake! the watch-cry pealeth,

While slumber deep each eyelid sealeth.

Awake, Jerusalem, awake.

The only semi joyful note is sounded on the last Sunday before Christmas with the hymn:

O come, O come, Emmanuel

with the chorus after each verse of,

Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come thee, O lsrael.

This picks up the opening words of the epistle for that Sunday in the Book of Common Prayer, which reads: 'Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice.'

I often liken this theme of penitence to the dark cloth a jeweller often uses behind his display of gold or silver rings in his shop window. lf he displayed such jewels against a white or gold background, you would not see them so clearly. The dark material of black, blue or purple helps the jewels to shine more brightly. In a similar way the theme of penitence enables the jewel of Christmas to shine more brightly.

It is therefore sad when a church tries to anticipate Christmas and ignores or sits lightly to the season of Advent, since it takes off some of the shine of the jewel of Christmas.

So I urge you, amidst the hustle and bustle of the preparation for Christmas - the selecting, buying and wrapping up of Christmas gifts, the choosing, writing and postage of Christmas cards, and the buying of food as if the shops are to be closed during the month of January - I urge you to use the season of Advent, as a time to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christmas.

Examine your lives, in an unhurried manner, in order to discover what needs to be uprooted in your lives, so that there may be room for Christ to be born anew in your lives this coming Christmas tide.