Advent Expectations

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.. for a child has been born for us, a son given to us…

-Isaiah 9:2, 6

Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and preparation, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth while also waiting with heightened expectation to his final return at the end of the age.  But, how did the season of Advent actually become a major part of the church liturgical year?

Well, it all began with the pagans who, back in Neolithic times, celebrated the Winter Solstice on December 21st.  For these ancient people it was an acknowledgment of an astronomical event which marked the longest night of the year…the day with the most hours of darkness.  On this day they came together to rejoice that the light would begin to return, the days would lengthen, and the crops would begin to sprout and grow so that the people might be fed.  And, they developed traditions including feasts, rituals, and festivals to mark the diminishing darkness and the increasing light of each day.

There came a time when Christians, not wanting to miss out on these celebrations or the people who might be attracted to their new religion by them, absorbed this pagan holiday into their yearly cycle and called it the season of “Darkness to Light”.  Originally, Advent was split into four weeks, each with a different theme; Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.  At that time Advent was seen as a mini-Lent with an emphasis on taking stock of one’s spiritual life, repenting of sins, and giving thanks for the grace of God.  So, since Lent was observed by the lighting of purple candles, Advent took on the same ritual.  However, over time the observance of Advent was allowed to evolve by the church into four weeks of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love symbolized by blue candles which represents the hope we find in Christ Jesus.

However, before the first candle is lit, the season of Advent begins in the dark.  Which to most of us modern Christians seems quite ridiculous in that we have been surrounded by Christmas lights since before Thanksgiving.  Yet, Advent is a season that acknowledges the darkness of the world in which we live as we wait, anticipate, and expect something better…Christ’s birth and triumphant return in glory.  And, if we are going to acknowledge the reality of the world, we’re definitely going to find some serious darknesses.  It’s unnecessary for me to list them.  They are everywhere…online, in our news, in our cities, in our families…in our very selves.  Darkness is, more often than not, the reality in which we live.

But, we’re not very good at waiting and we are not very good at living in the darkness…not when the temptation of fast forwarding to Christmas is all around us.  When we are surrounded by twinkling holiday trees, children whose faces light up at the mention of Santa Claus, and incessant Christmas Carrols, it’s hard to sit in the darkness.  Yet, in the words of Fleming Rutledge, “Advent is designed to show that the meaning of Christmas is diminished to the vanishing point if we are not willing to take a fearless inventory of the darkness.” 

How can we be fearless in the face of darkness?  The answer to that question lies in the meaning of Advent.  We are waiting in holy expectation for the birth of Jesus…the one we call the “Light of the world.”  During this season we are invited to acknowledge the reality of darkness, while we wait for the one who will shine light on our darkness…the one we are told overcomes the darkness.  And, we are waiting with the certainty that he will show up and the expectation that the people who walk in darkness will see a great light. 

So, as is the tradition of this Chapel we will come together this Advent season to contemplate and celebrate the light of Christ that overcomes the darkness.  We begin on Thursday, December 4th, with A Service of Darkness to Light where we will worship in silence and meditate on our personal “darknesses” and give thanks to Jesus for being the light in our lives.

And, we will gather once again on Christmas Eve and rejoice that as we share the light of Christ from candle to candle…increasing the glow of hope, peace, joy, and love until our sanctuary is ablaze with the light of Christ…that we have been commissioned to join Jesus’ ministry of light and life for all people.