Skip to main content

The Reason for the Season...of Advent

The liturgical season known as Advent is designed to remind Christians that we are defined by not one, but two, Advents.

We celebrate the first Advent of Christ.

We await the Second.

The first has happened--it is a historical reality.  The Son, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead, took on human flesh and was born of a Virgin.  He is Immanuel--God with us.  This event occurred at a specific time in a specific place, which we in the West have chosen to celebrate on the 25th day of December each year.

But this Advent--this Coming--only has meaning in relation to the Second Advent.  Christmas is incomplete, useless even, without Consummation.  The sweet babe in the manger, so tender and mild, can offer you no benefit unless you submit to Him as your returning Lord.  Advent is a season of hope and expectation, but only for those who wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We celebrate Advent as Christians--Christ followers--because these two historical events, one past and one yet to come, define who we are.  Our identity, along with our resulting choices, hinges not on our culture or the fleeting whims of our untrustworthy hearts, but on the Savior who has come and is coming again.  

May you, who rejoice in the first Advent of our Redeemer, at His second Advent be rewarded with unending life.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations.  As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae.  Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict.   What does it mean?  Who may partake?  What do we call it?    These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts.  Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention.  PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it.  I underst...

Some Thoughts on the 2024 Election

So, we had an election earlier this week.  Perhaps you heard about it. I have done my best to remain mostly silent on political issues this time around because I have found that fixating on such matters does little for my mental or spiritual health.  Also, no one cares what I think.  Nevertheless, here are a few thoughts on our recent election. 1) I didn't vote for Donald Trump, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not glad he won.  To be clear, that says more about Kamala Harris than about Donald Trump. 2) This election seemed much cleaner--much less suspicious--than the sordid affair we had in 2020.  This election didn't feature any poll workers tallying (discovering? conjuring?) votes behind closed doors in the wee hours of the night, messy mail-in voting, or voter turnout beyond plausible expectations.  The 2020 election had me convinced that we would never see another peaceful, uncontested election, but, as contentious as things were this year, it seems like...

Haiku for Bethany

Such a pretty girl The fairest, the loveliest Lovelier each day Kind, caring, friendly Generous, sacrificial Gentle, powerful Her love and her touch Sparks igniting in my chest Souls entwined, yet freed   Golden hair, brown eyes That bright smile that captured My gaze and my heart