Inside and Overneath: Advent 2015

For a lot of people, Christmas is not always the “most wonderful time of the year.” Between visiting family, buying presents, sending out Christmas cards and everything else, what is supposed to be a special time can turn into a hectic and stressful few weeks.
But the tradition of Advent calls Christians to slow down and think more about what the season truly means.

So what is Advent?

Advent is a strange word to us. It sounds incomplete, like someone was trying to say “adventure” or “Adventist” but didn’t finish the word out. What’s up with the strange word and the strange candle lighting thing anyway?

Advent, which is the Latin word for “Coming”, is perhaps one of the oldest Christian traditions. Some suggest it was founded even by the Apostles, that once a year Christians would set aside a time and remember the first coming of Christ, the darkness that surrounded the world so tightly until light came. We do this so we might better prepare our minds and hearts for his second coming… a promise that Christmas gives us. There are three meanings of 'coming' that Christians describe in Advent. The first, and most thought of, happened about 2000 years ago when Jesus came into the world as a baby to live as a man and die for us. The second can happen now as Jesus comes into our lives to live and reign through His Spirit. And the third will happen in the future when Jesus comes back to the world as King and Judge.

Why Advent?

The spirit of Advent is the spirit of humanity fully alive.

We are living in an opportunistic, individualistic, consumer driven culture. The calendar has merged into sales peaks. Black Friday has completely engulfed Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday has become every teen’s favorite day of the year, and now I hear commercials trying to push Small Business Saturday. If we don’t take a more aggressive and even offensive stance, we will always end up getting swallowed up by the deluge of what the culture is purporting.

If one were to go onto any financial website, all one would hear right now is the predictions for the spending of this year’s holiday season and to make sure you get your tax break by giving to charity. We’re living in a culture that’s all about consumerism, and it ends up steamrolling the end of the year. All of a sudden, Thanksgiving and Christmas become a blur of craziness.

Then we’re left, barely standing, holding a candle at church on Christmas Eve going, “Oh yeah, it really was all about the night when Christ was born.”

While the world celebrates Santa Claus, Egg nog, great sales, and high energy festivities, WE reflect on the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

You might be thinking, “We have Charlie Brown for that thank you very much!”

And of course by focusing on the true story of Christmas found in Luke 2 we can in fact focus our minds and hearts where they ought to be. But if we are honest, the Christmas season has become less and less about hope, peace, joy, and love and has become more and more about presents, lights, and the color of Starbucks’ cups.

When we recover Advent, we are reminded that this season is about a promise that God is going to do what God has promised He is going to do.

And He’s going to do that for every single one of us who has put our hope in Him.

Now… there is nothing wrong with celebrating the season and having fun with friends, family, and lots of cookies… but in an effort to try something new this season, we are continuing something very old, and we want to invite your family along for the journey.

This year as I help lead my own church family through this season of expectation, there are plenty of things which will distract me. That is why I put together an Advent Calendar of one Scripture passage to read each day. You can find it here.

This season was eventually placed at the end of the year in our calendar so that we could remember all the moments that Christ “came” throughout the past year. And by reflecting on that… It was, after all, a wonderful year!

Looking at my own life this past year, being blessed by the church in Phoenix at CCV and now back in East Orlando with River Run. I celebrated Easter in a huge way by helping CCV fill the University of Phoenix Stadium, so people could hear the Gospel message, some for the very first time.

I was privileged to witness some of the youth in my life go on another awesome mission trip to the Dominican Republic and Mexico with Casa De Gracia and 1MISSION.

I was again privileged to speak at three youth conferences this past year.

And my church (River Run) raised over $50,000 so that our neighbors can have clean water again. (Check that story out here.)

In all of these we functioned as Christ’s body “coming” to those who needed Him most.

Take some time to think about what you did this year. How did you bring peace and goodwill to those whom you came into contact? Maybe it is what others did for you? How have you been blessed?

Advent is Needed Today

Advent is a time to reflect on these things, but it is also a time for a humility check, to look inside and understand that none of us have gotten to our destination yet. We are all like Paul, straining towards what’s ahead. Our world is dark and chaotic. Among all of our happy moments and victories this year, we have also, all of us, experienced heartache and pain. Some of us may be facing Christmas this year with a family one less than last year. Perhaps the year was financially straining.

Divorce. Rebellion. Death. Sin. Breakups. Fear.

Our world is under a dark shadow. Our nation is divided like never before over political partisanship.
In the midst of all our darkness we find ourselves singing the chorus of the martyrs, “How long, Oh Lord? Come Lord Jesus!”

So this year, just as a star guided the wise men from the East to the baby King, we want to step back and let an ancient tradition be our guide through this season. For we are all seeking the Presence of our God this Christmas.

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine… For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod… For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” –Isaiah 9:2-6

We hope that the readings we will be offering you on the calendar and the devotionals each week will act as an anchor for your family through the coming weeks to remember the most important thing: Jesus is Coming.

The Advent Wreath:

The wreath symbolizing the unity and continuity of the human condition. A constant, never ending sequence of events is interrupted by the candles, representing the pillars of redemption. One candle within the advent wreath is lit on the first Sunday, this year that happens to be November 29th. Two are lit on the second Sunday and so on. Each candle has a different meaning and different churches have given them different meanings, but I have come to use the following:

•    The first is the HOPE candle, representing Isaiah and other prophets in the Bible that predicted the coming of Jesus. Christians also remember the promise of Jesus to return again.
•    The second is the PEACE candle, it represents the Word of Christ, a message of peace on earth, the promise of the Church to be a sanctuary and offer peace for the distressed by offering the Word of God.
•    The third is the JOY candle, representing many people: Mary, the mother of Jesus and the joy she had to have a baby. The joy of the Shepherds who came and worshiped, the joy of the three kings who came to give gifts to the new King, and the joy that was set before Jesus himself, to bear the cross, disregarding its shame.
•    The fourth is the LOVE candle representing Jesus’ disciples throughout history, beginning with the original apostles, who shared Jesus’ love for the world by writing the New Testament, preaching, evangelizing, and laying down their own lives for the sake of the Church.

The middle candle, the Christ Candle, as it were is lit on Christmas Day and represents Jesus, the light of the world.

My hope is that you can enjoy this season in a fresh new way, that at the end of the seasons, when all the candles are blown out and all the Christmas decorations come down... that you and your family will have a shared experience of spiritual discussions and a renewed love for Jesus and His church.

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Nathan Bryant

is a pastor at River Run Church in East Orlando, FL. As a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri he majored in Biblical Leadership, New Testament Studies, and Missiology. In 2014 he attended the Leadership Institute in Phoenix, AZ where he continued his education from other pastors and educators at one of the fastest growing churches in the United States. He loves the outdoors, whether it is camping in the mountains or jumping through the waves at the beach, nothing is better than enjoying God’s creation. Nathan longs for unity and commitment to Jesus to be a defining element in the global church of his generation.