As Advent Begins

"Advent" comes from a Latin word that means "coming" or "arrival," as when some great figure like the emperor arrived during a tour of his provinces. The season of Advent, beginning four Sundays before Christmas, is a focused, reflective time of preparation for our celebration of the humble birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Advent also reminds us that we await another coming of Jesus, a coming in majesty at the end of all things. The Second Coming will fulfill the promise of the First.

Even as we expect the joy of Christ's coming, December brings the longest night of the year. For all of us, the troubles of the world are ever-present, close at hand and throughout the earth. Advent allows us to acknowledge the sorrows and incompleteness of human existence in the here and now and so greet God's new beginning in the manger with greater joy.

At Advent, we gather together as a community and wait for the light. We listen to God's word, remember God's promises, and praise God who is the source of all light and hope. For each Sunday through Advent and into the Christmas season, we offer here readings from the rich tradition and invite your response.

For the first Sunday of Advent:

"Celebrating Advent means being able to wait.
Waiting, however, is an art that our impatient age has forgotten...
We must wait
for the greatest, most profound,
most gentle things in the world;
nothing happens in a rush,
but only according to the divine laws of germination and growth and becoming."
--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The time of Advent is absolutely essential...
If we have truly given our humanity to be changed into Christ,
it is essential that we do not disturb this time of growth."
--Caryll Houselander

"The small child of Bethlehem,
the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher,
the naked man on the cross,
he asks for my full attention.
The work of our salvation takes place in the midst
of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises."
--Henri J.M. Nouwen

"Come, Lord Jesus, and turn us toward your light."
--Blair Gilmer Meeks