Advent
What is Advent?
The word advent itself simply means arrival. Christians often speak of Christ’s “First Advent” and “Second Advent”. The First Advent refers to the Incarnation – that is, Jesus, God the Son, coming to this earth, born of a virgin, to fulfill God’s promise to save his people from their sins. The Second Advent refers to the one that is still future – Christ’ second coming. We await and long for the day when he will return as a ruling and reigning king to consummate his kingdom, right all wrongs and wipe away all tears. Right now, we live in the space in between these two advents. For those of us who are in Christ, we are called to be ambassadors in this world for God’s Kingdom as we await its full expression when Christ returns.
The season of Advent, during which we remember and celebrate the birth of Christ, traditionally starts four Sundays prior to Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. While we do not believe that observance of Advent is any kind of religious obligation, we do see it is an incredible opportunity to experience and share the compassion, delight, and assurance that we have been given in Christ in light of his first coming as we wait in hope and anticipation for his second.
The following are some ways in which you can grow in affection for Christ during this season:
Advent DEVOTIONAL PLAN
This year’s Advent Bible reading plan will follow 25 devotions in Joy to the World by John Piper. Let us continue to be in the Word together as the year comes to a close.
Advent Youtube Playlist
If you’d like to learn more about Advent and some of the biblical themes surrounding it, please check out this YouTube playlist on our YouTube channel.
Advent Spotify Playlist
Music is powerful. It has the unique ability to spark our nostalgia, stir our emotions, and ignite our affections. We have curated a playlist of songs (both Christian and secular) to help leverage that for Christ during this Christmas season.