No Christmas

Advent - The Anticipation of Christ's Second Coming

Advent History   

Over time, the true meaning of Christmas has been lost. The anticipation of Christ ’s coming – His birth – gave way to picturesque post cards of happiness, as well as good cheer to all men and women. This translates into massive gift giving, decorating homes with trees, lights, ornaments and front lawns with huge blow up dolls, which really do not make sense.

This brings me to Advent, which is the prelude to Christmas. Many Churches today do not practice or have forgotten the true meaning. For those recognizing Advent, they see it as the beginning of the Liturgical Calendar and a time to celebrate the anticipated arrival of Christ’s birth. In part, this is true but in actuality, Advent is God’s prophetic word being fulfilled from the Old Testament  through its journey of the New Testament and our current wait of Our Savior’s second coming.

Taking a fresh look at what Advent means we have to first understand it derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival,”  which is translated from the Greek word parousia that is commonly used to refer to the coming of Christ.

God’s Advent Promise

The people of Israel were walking in darkness; they desired to be freed from continuous threats of attach from Assyria. God’s prophetic word proclaimed he would send someone to save them. The Prophet Isaiah first made the people aware of the Messianic Message; God was with his people, He had not forgotten their struggle and he was sending a savior.  Isaiah 7:14 reveals the first sign of “The Coming” – Advent. …The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. The nations eagerly awaited “the coming/arrival of their savior. In part, Isaiah 9:2-7 tells us …a child is born and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God.

The History of  the Wreath

From an historical perspective during the 4^th and 5^th century, Advent was believed to be a season of preparation for baptism of new Christians at the feast of Epiphany during the January feast. Christians would pray and fast for 40 days but these preparations had little or no connection to Advent or Christmas. 

In the Old Testament the children of Israel did not know Christ, Hebrew Rabbis taught the Jewish people that a Messiah was coming and they emphasized the need to embrace the King’s arrival and the need for holy living.

Christians today have always known of Jesus and they symbolically celebrate Christ’s arrival for four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It also represents the beginning of the Liturgical year – the cycle of seasons in church. Somewhere in this process, the true meaning of Advent gave way to:

The Advent Wreath -  The hope we have in God, the renewal of eternal life

The Candles -  Symbolize the light of God coming into the world through Christ’s birth

The four outer candles -  Symbolic of waiting four centuries before Christ’s birth

The White candle – A representation of Christ and His incarnation

   The True Meaning of Advent

    Through God’s word and the incarnation of Christ, we know that The Messiah has already come.  We can affirm the promise of Jesus through his forgiving grace and power. Yet, over time customs and traditions diluted the true meaning of Advent. Today it still has the same meaning and significance as told by the Prophet Isaiah only difference  Advent as we know it should signify our anticipation for the second coming of the Messiah. 

   The Second Advent 

    

   The Season of Advent is: 

•    Expectation
•    Preparation
•    Proclamation
•    Revelation
•    Celebration

· Expectation - God’s promise of the coming of the Messiah, He came - Luke 1:26-37. Our expectation through Advent today is prepare for Christ’s second coming

· Preparation - Advent allows Christians to wait and hope for the glorious return. Just as John the Baptist brought hope to the people as they anticipated the coming of Christ. Mark 1:1-8.

· Proclamation – As Christians, it is our responsibility to proclaim the good news, the consequences of sin and unfaithfulness can be very severe. Let the people know Christ has come to forgive us of our sins and to prepare for Christ coming again. Mark 1:14-15

· Revelation – God discloses himself through Christ for all humankind. God’s hope is that we all live a committed holy life and not turn cold toward him as we await the return of Jesus. Matthew 24:9-14

· Celebration - Our celebration is the day Christ returns.  The fulfillment of the true Advent season would be complete. What a glorious day it will be when Jesus returns Revelation 1:7

    As we begin the Advent Season this is a prime opportunity to do more than just observe Advent and its lifeless church tradition. Continue to proactively study the true meaning of Advent and incorporate God’s awesome promise that Jesus will return soon! 

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Angels of Secret Generosity, the meaning of Christmas

O Christmas Tree
Photo: Tigner J.

When man gives from the heart, and not grudgingly God will make all grace and blessings abound toward them. 2 Cor. 9: 7-8

What is Christmas

Christmas is a picturesque season of happiness, good cheer to all men and women. It is a festive season when people annually decorate homes with trees, lights, ornaments and front lawns with huge blow up dolls, which really don’t make sense.  



Black Friday and Scrooge

There are bright colors, reindeer, some old man in a red suit and an over abundance of God forsaken Christmas sweaters and vest. Christmas is perceived as a time where people “want a whole lot of this and a whole lot of that” while fighting for bargains on Black Friday. Loved ones are bestowed with expensive toys, gadgets and clothes to neatly wrap under a Christmas tree. Before you call me a cold hearted Ebenezer Scrooge please continue reading there is a reason for the season.

Christmas and Christ

Christmas is suppose to represent the Birth of Jesus Christ, the greatest present ever given to mankind, God coming to earth as man atoning our sins. His existence was a journey of teaching humility; how to give, and be a blessing to others yet somewhere along the way got it twisted thinking that our hands should always be on the receiving end. Christmas is a time for praising, singing of songs glorifying His name and most importantly serving our fellow man.

The general public has become numb or even skeptical of extending a helping hand to family let alone strangers until now. During this Christmas season we have witnessed thousands of spectacular incidents of unexplainable altruistic behavior from complete strangers’ nationwide - individuals paying off 
lay-a-ways for strangers, to a man in Waycross, Georgia who bought $500 worth of McDonald’s gift cards - in $25 increments to distribute to needy families.  

This kind gesture inspired the McDonald’s owner, Brian Fey, to match the donation by giving half the gift cards to the Pierce County Food Bank and half to a local homeless shelter. Paying it forward, random acts of kindness are actions which really embody the true spirit of Christmas and should transcend beyond one month but include 365 days a year. Giving can be contagious! 

Jesus Christ told his followers it’s more blessed to give than to receive. He also stated for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38.  Sorrowfully, we often hoard God’s possessions opposed to giving to those in need. Contrary to popular belief, all things under the sun belong to God; he has blessed us with custodianship of earthly belongings we so often times cherish. Looking back over 2011, we had good times, faced some bad, and not to forget many blessings. I challenge you to take on the “I can’t help it disease” and begin showing random acts of kindness in 2012 and beyond by making yourself available as a giving vessel to others. Take time to recognize God’s blessings in your life and pass the blessings forward!   With your new mindset of giving, who can you bless today?

Tigner Rand

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