AdventThe Lord Who Arrives ThriceAdvent is the time when God breaks in on us with new surprises and touches us with a renewing and restoring power. —Robert Webber,
Ancient-Future TimeBefore we begin our Advent devotions, I want to provide some insight into this season and what it means. Few things frustrate and challenge us quite like waiting. Yet waiting is the first note of the church calendar. The church year begins with Advent, which means it begins with waiting—or better yet, anticipation. Anticipation is waiting flavored by hope, and this is at the center of Advent.
In Advent, we gaze backward to the Incarnation, Christ’s first coming at his birth in Bethlehem. At the same time, we gaze forward to Christ’s second coming, when he will judge, save, and usher in God’s new creation in full. Just as the Israelites longed for a savior before the birth of Christ, we wait with the church across the ages for the second coming of our King.
At times, Advent has suffered from a slight case of mistaken identity. Advent is not Christmas extended. They are sibling seasons, but Advent has its own distinct personality. The preparation of Advent launches us into the celebration of Christmas.
Advent Spirituality: How Advent Shapes UsHow does Advent shape our discipleship to Jesus? Advent summons us to align and ready our lives and hearts for the arrival of our Lord. At a basic level, the logic is intuitive. When guests plan to come for an extended stay in your home, you no doubt take essential and sometimes rather elaborate measures to prepare. Often, the anticipated arrival of a guest will produce in us fresh waves of motivation. Knowing they are coming may energize us to fix what we might otherwise leave broken, like a janky kitchen drawer, or to straighten up rooms we would have lazily left cluttered. The guest’s anticipated presence ends up elevating the state of the whole house. Jesus spoke about his arrival in similar terms, comparing his second coming to the return of the master of the house at a time unknown:
Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake. (Mark 13:35–37)
Advent spirituality is about the holy work of anticipation: watching, waiting, and staying awake.
Wherever we have been sluggish in our faith, apathetic toward Christ’s return, and bored with seeking Christ’s kingdom, Advent is a gracious wake-up call. In this season, the Lord wakes us from our slumber, calls us to stay alert, and beckons us to live under the truth that will soon transform every square inch of reality: the fullness of the kingdom at the return of Jesus.
The “Three Advents” of Christ• Christ’s coming at Bethlehem to be our savior
• The longing for Christ to come anew into our lives and hearts
• The expectation of Christ’s second coming at the end of history to rescue, judge, and establish his rule
When Christians speak of Christ’s coming, we speak of a truth that bends time. The advent of our Lord is a past, present, and future gift and reality. In this way, Advent centers on the Lord who arrives thrice. In the Incarnation, we marvel at the Lord’s first advent among us as the Word became flesh (John 1:14). We anticipate the Lord’s second advent in his future return at the end of history (Revelation 22:20). And in the present, we seek the Lord’s third advent—his continual in-breaking work in our lives. These three comings of Christ form us as we live in faithful anticipation.
Following Jesus in Advent is a deeply formative way to walk the peculiar path of discipleship. Advent is a time to watch, wait, and stay awake (Mark 13). It’s a season in which we take a hard look at the world’s darkness, injustice, and longing and say with the psalmist, “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1). This understanding of Advent chafes against the way we’re used to spending the weeks leading up to Christmas. Let’s be real: It can feel odd to sit in waiting and lament during the early weeks of December, while the fanfare of shopping and Mariah Carey’s Christmas anthems are all around us. (It will feel equally odd to insist on continuing to celebrate and feast for twelve days following Christmas Day.) By inhabiting this peculiarity, we follow Christians of the past who embraced the rhythms of sober preparation and patient waiting, rhythms we can offer to a busy and broken world by embracing them first ourselves. In Advent, waiting leads to the gift of Christlike formation in the present and fullhearted celebration in due time.
Advent PracticesWhat are the particular practices that mark worship and discipleship in Advent? We could name several, but these few form a helpful starting place for individuals and communities.
Countdown to Christmas in anticipation. There are a variety of ways to prayerfully count down to Christmas. One is the use of an Advent wreath, an embodied practice focused on the coming light of Christ. Each week, on Sunday, a purple candle is lit, with a pink or rose candle lit on the third Sunday of the season. (Traditions do vary across denominations, and it is fine to use purple candles on the third Sunday.) The candles enact light overcoming darkness. The fifth candle—the white Christ candle—is lit on Christmas Eve. Make the Advent wreath the centerpiece of your dining table, and engage in Scripture and prayer as you light a candle each Sunday in anticipation of Christ’s advent.
Make room for lament. For many, the approach of Christmas is a time not of rejoicing but of sadness due to tragedy and loss. Since Advent begins in the dark, make room to lament. Where are you disappointed or experiencing loss? Bring these things before the Lord in prayer. Consider using the language of Psalm 13 and lighting a candle as you do so, letting the dancing flame remind you of the presence of God.
Immerse yourself in Advent hymns and music. Christmas music rejoices while Advent music vocalizes the longing of a world in need of rescue. Create a playlist of Advent hymns and music, and don’t turn too quickly to the joy of your favorite Christmas anthems. Hymns such as “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” and “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending” are classics for good reason.
Consider the threats to keeping an intentional Advent. Because Advent is such a countercultural season in its call for reflection when the rest of our world calls for consumption and busyness, it’s worth assessing what will keep you from embracing Advent the way you want to. Most of us will face these three threats: hurry, perfection, and noise. Here are helpful tips to overcome them:
1. Hurry. For many, late November and December are among the busiest times of the year. Busyness and hurry are enemies of the spiritual life.
Remedy: Plan before the season starts. Consider doing Christmas shopping early—even before Advent begins. Pick your activities, traditions, family worship rhythms, and so forth ahead of time. This will add a sense of calm to your Advent experience.
2. Expecting perfection. The truth is you won’t have a perfect Advent, nor will you live up to all your Advent plans. That’s both fine and to be expected.
Remedy: Reject attempts to “perform” at Advent. Simply do
something with intention, try to stick with it, trust God’s grace, and expect God to make this season meaningful in ways seen and unseen.
3. Noise. For those who live in a house with many roommates or children, the prospect of eliminating noise is a pipe dream. While few of us can eliminate noise, many of us can limit it in various ways.
Remedy: Decide in advance to limit noise, media, and consumerism to attend to God and others.
Copyright © 2025 by Claude Atcho. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
