Celebrating Advent
Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. Just the other day I had a person ask me, "When did Baptists start celebrating Advent?" I was taken back for a second, because I think of Advent being another word for Christmas. What they meant was to ask when Baptists started using Advent Wreaths and calling it Advent, instead of simply saying Christmas. I explained that many Baptist churches had been celebrating Advent that way for about the last 20 years. Before that time it was just done in more liturgical churches.
All of that being said, I think it is great that Baptists have come to celebrate Advent, because it helps us keep the real meaning of Christmas. The word Advent means "to come to." It is when Jesus came to earth. It is when God came to be the God/man, Jesus, so He could reveal God to us and die for our sins by shedding His blood. That is worth celebrating in a great way. It is so much better than the secular things that we have at Christmas.
Also, the way of having Advent for four weeks before Christmas Day is great for having us keep our focus on the meaning and to really get ready to worship Jesus as Christmas day comes. With all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it is easy to lose the real meaning. You can even get Advent Calendars for your home. They have a different message for each day of December. That keeps us on track all month, too. I pray that all of us will be celebrating Advent this year and that it will be a very joyous celebration of Jesus' coming to with us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 11-13.
All of that being said, I think it is great that Baptists have come to celebrate Advent, because it helps us keep the real meaning of Christmas. The word Advent means "to come to." It is when Jesus came to earth. It is when God came to be the God/man, Jesus, so He could reveal God to us and die for our sins by shedding His blood. That is worth celebrating in a great way. It is so much better than the secular things that we have at Christmas.
Also, the way of having Advent for four weeks before Christmas Day is great for having us keep our focus on the meaning and to really get ready to worship Jesus as Christmas day comes. With all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it is easy to lose the real meaning. You can even get Advent Calendars for your home. They have a different message for each day of December. That keeps us on track all month, too. I pray that all of us will be celebrating Advent this year and that it will be a very joyous celebration of Jesus' coming to with us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 11-13.