Pastor’s Pen Nov 27

The season of “Advent” begins today

Aaah yes, it is only four weeks until Christmas 😲😬 I’m smiling as I write this as I feel as unprepared as you are. Every year I plan to buy gifts in advance and every year I fail. Know the feeling?

But let’s talk about the real meaning of Christmas. Today is week one of “Advent.” As Baptists we don’t really celebrate “Advent” to the letter, as say Catholic and Anglican churches do. There is nothing in the Bible that instructs us to. Celebrating Advent started around the 4^th Century AD. The Greek word Parousia translates in Latin as Adventus, a word used for both the First Coming of Christ in human flesh and his future Second Coming. Advent, then, always tends to focus on both.

In His first advent Christ came in the weakness of a little baby, to become the suffering servant for lost humanity. In His Second Advent Christ will come as the Sovereign King and Lord of all. We sit, as His Church, in the middle of both, looking back to His incarnation and what that means to us, and looking forward to when Jesus will come back to consummate His Kingdom. What a season to be thankful for our many blessings in Christ, to focus on the peace, joy, love and hope He gifts us, and to anticipate His return one day as He establishes a new Heaven and earth, with we believers gloriously in it.

Aaah yes, it is only four weeks until Christmas 😲😬 I’m smiling as I write this as I feel as unprepared as you are. Every year I plan to buy gifts in advance and every year I fail. Know the feeling?

But let’s talk about the real meaning of Christmas. Today is week one of “Advent.” As Baptists we don’t really celebrate “Advent” to the letter, as say Catholic and Anglican churches do. There is nothing in the Bible that instructs us to. Celebrating Advent started around the 4^th Century AD. The Greek word Parousia translates in Latin as Adventus, a word used for both the First Coming of Christ in human flesh and his future Second Coming. Advent, then, always tends to focus on both.

In His first advent Christ came in the weakness of a little baby, to become the suffering servant for lost humanity. In His Second Advent Christ will come as the Sovereign King and Lord of all. We sit, as His Church, in the middle of both, looking back to His incarnation and what that means to us, and looking forward to when Jesus will come back to consummate His Kingdom. What a season to be thankful for our many blessings in Christ, to focus on the peace, joy, love and hope He gifts us, and to anticipate His return one day as He establishes a new Heaven and earth, with we believers gloriously in it.