Waiting for Advent

I grew up in fundamentalist baptist churches that did not acknowledge strong ties with the historical Church. I don’t remember much talk of Advent around the holidays. When I heard the term as a young person, I associated it with Catholicism or liberalism. I was first exposed to Presbyterians through a college roommate, and into adulthood, I settled in among the reformed tradition of faith. Now, the Church calendar is a precious thing that connects me to the cloud of witnesses to Christ that has gone on before me for generations. And, so, I consider Advent.

This year, Advent, which comes from the Latin word for coming or arrival, represents two things to me – one tied to Church history and the other tied to Church future. What was it like for God’s children living in silence for hundreds of years waiting on the coming of the Messiah? I think of the wonder and joy of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 as they see baby Jesus for the first time. But we live 2000 years past that first coming, and while I celebrate the first coming, I wait like Simeon and Anna for the next.

I celebrate Emmanuel – God with us. I celebrate all He accomplished through His perfect righteous life and then His death on the cross. Yet God is clear in Scripture that we have tasted only the firstfruits of redemption. The firstfruits are incredible. He grants us forgiveness. He releases us from shame and self-condemnation. He frees us from the dreadful oppression of trying to work our way toward God’s standard of righteousness. Yet there is so much more for which we wait. We wait for the end of sickness and death, suffering and disease. Most of all, we wait for the end of sin – other’s sins against us and our own sinfulness against others.

I wait with eager longing. I wait with hope. Yet, nevertheless, I’m still waiting. Advent memorializes the first season of waiting for Jesus’ first coming. We observe it during our extended waiting for His second coming.  The song First Light captures the essence of this hope and inspires me to wait expectantly.  Here it is performed by the acapella group Glad.  

I wait with eager anticipation for that day!