And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7
Every year, as the month of November dies down, the Church celebrates her “New Year.” When Christ the King Sunday ends, a new year in the Church begins, and it begins with the season of Advent.
The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” In New Testament times, the word adventus referred to the arrival or coming of a person with great power. It could be a king, emperor, or one of the gods. For us Christians, Advent is a time when the Church waits patiently for the coming of her King, and prepares.
In Advent, we celebrate and observe four ways in which Christ comes.
The first is Jesus’ promised coming in the Old Testament. Jesus tells the Jews in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” The Old Testament is about Jesus. It points to Him. It proclaims Him. It anticipates Him. It longs for His coming. In Advent, we see how God fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about our Lord’s coming. God keeps His word and promises!
The second coming that Advent observes is perhaps the most obvious one: His coming in the manger, His first coming. The season of Advent builds toward Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as we celebrate how Jesus has become like us, taking on human flesh, to save us from our sin. We celebrate, as John so wonderfully says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
The third coming that Advent observes compliments the prior one. Advent anticipates and longs for Jesus’ second coming. All throughout the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that He is coming again, and He will! This also helps to explain the emphasis of repentance in the season of Advent. One of the ways we prepare for His coming is to confess our sins and receive forgiveness for them. Fortunately, our Lord freely gives it, and willingly does!
The last coming that Advent celebrates has a different time aspect than the other ones. It is not a past coming nor is it a future coming. It is a present coming. Jesus still comes to us today through His Word and Sacraments. It is through His Word, our baptism, and His Supper, that He lives and reigns among us. It is through these means that He showers His grace upon us, and works in us. Jesus still comes to us today. Advent reminds us of that.
As we journey through the season of Advent, I hope and pray you may see the various ways in which Jesus comes. He came in fulfillment of God’s Word. He came in the manger to save us. He will come again in glory, and He comes to us now.
In Christ,
Pastor Nick Kooi
Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIV, Number 5, December 2022)