Advent: It's All About Love

If we were to explain to someone the purpose of Advent, I suppose most of us would answer something along the lines of, “Getting ready for Christmas.” While that is true, Christmas isn’t the only thing we’re preparing for. Also, Advent is about much more than decorating, shopping, and baking, though all of that is part of it, too.

The word ‘advent ‘comes from the Latin ‘adventus,’ which is translated ‘arrival’ or ‘coming.’ There are three components to Advent: 

The first component, of course, is our looking forward to Christmas Day, when we will celebrate the historical event of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. We’re looking ahead to celebrating a past event – the arrival of God on earth as a baby. Preparing for this is much like the plans we make to celebrate our own family’s birthdays and anniversaries. Christ was born to teach us to love purely and radically, so all of our decorating, shopping, and baking in preparation for Christmas are appropriate activities to prepare for this wondrous celebration and to show our love to others.  

The second component of Advent is looking ahead to the second coming of Christ.  This is understood to be at the final judgment, when each of us will have to answer for how well we loved our Lord through the people around us. John of the Cross (1542-1591) put it succinctly:  “At the end of your life, you will be judged by your love.” And so Advent is a time for us to prepare for the day when we will be judged: to reflect on our own lives, make changes where necessary, and trust His promise to welcome us into eternal life. 

The third component of Advent is acknowledging that Christ rose from the dead and is alive today. Our faith lets us believe that He has already arrived; He is here with us! When we pray The Lord’s Prayer (The Our Father) we ask, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We pray for heaven to come to earth – and recognize that, through our loving attitudes and actions, we can make that happen! In these weeks of Advent, we’re reminded to give more of ourselves, our time, and our talents to those around us in order to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven here and now. 

And so, as you decorate, shop, and bake, add pray. Thank Jesus for coming to earth to teach us how to love. Look ahead to your day of judgment and take steps to love more purely and radically. Seize each moment and ask our loving, living God to show you how you can bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the people and circumstances around you right now. Trust Him to lead you; watch for opportunities; and follow your gut.

May God strengthen our faith and make our hearts like His.

“Trust in the Lord forever!” – Isaiah 26:4

“Lord, prepare my heart this Advent season.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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