Advent: Time to Remember, Time to Prepare

By: MaryJane Pierce Norton

For Christians the start of the New Year is the first Sunday in Advent. This year, it is Nov. 28. Observing the Christian year at home, as well as church, can enrich our journey of faith. It’s a rich spiritual journey that can be repeated year after year as we follow the seasons.

Through the Christian Year

During Advent, we anticipate the arrival of the Christ child. The sequence of seasons and celebrations continues with Christmastide and kneeling with the shepherds at the manger in the wonder at the arrival of the new baby — God’s own Son. Following 12 days of Christmas is Epiphany and remembering the journey of the magi. In the days following, we walk with the disciples, listen to the teachings of Jesus and are challenged by Jesus’ message to love God and love others through Lent. During Holy Week, we move from exultation on Palm Sunday to dining with Jesus on Maundy Thursday to the foot of the cross on Good Friday, through death to resurrection on Easter Sunday. For 50 days we celebrate Easter and then on Pentecost we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples and the birth of the Christian church. We live out the commission to make disciples until, once again, we come to the start of the new year on the first Sunday in Advent.

Keeping Advent

To begin, we can make Advent wreaths to use at home. The evergreen wreath reminds us of God’s never-ending love. Purple candles signify that Jesus comes as royalty. Lighting candles reminds us that He comes as light to the world today.

Our family lights the candles each Sunday, beginning with one and ending with four. For a short time each Sunday, we slow down and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. The white candle, the Christ candle, is lit on Christmas Eve. We read scripture, sing carols and talk about what Jesus’ coming means to us as a family.

Some other ways individuals and families observe Advent are:

• Making or using an Advent calendar that causes you to stop long enough each day to open a door or add an ornament or add an object to the nativity scene.
• Make Christmas cookies and deliver them to neighbors and friends.
• Write cards.
• Sing Christmas songs and carols in the car and home.
• Make time to go to church.
• Pause to give thanks to God for the gift of Jesus.

Our congregation helps us celebrate Advent by:

• Having yearly Advent workshops where we make wreaths, decorate the Christ candle, make Christmas ornaments using symbols that remind us of Jesus, such as the cross, a fish, a dove and a candle, (see Interpreter, Nov.-Dec. 2003) and write meditations to use at home.
• Reminding us to set aside time for reflection, prayer and scripture reading.
• Recalling that sending cards, caroling and sharing food remind us of the importance of Christian community and our purpose to prepare for the presence of Christ in the world.
  Resources to Use at Home for Observing Advent
  Pockets magazine includes instructions for making and using an Advent wreath, plus a calendar of daily suggestions for focusing on God during the month of December, http://www.upperroom.org/pockets.

Use the Upper Room Daily Devotional, http://www.upperroom.org.

Find another home devotional guide for Advent/Christmas and the New Year at http://www.gbod.org and click on “Discipleship Ministries.”

This story appears in the November / December 2004 issue of INTERPRETER Magazine.

--MaryJane Pierce Norton is team leader for Family and Life Span Ministries, General Board of Discipleship, Nashville, Tenn.