What is Advent? | GotQuestions.org

In today's video I'll answer your question, what is Advent? Then afterward, as always,

I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. Advent is the season of year leading up to Christmas.

It's observed with various traditions and rituals by Catholics and other liturgical groups such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists.

In recent years, Advent celebrations of one type or another have been added to many evangelical services as well.

The word Advent itself means arrival, or an appearing, or coming into place.

Christians often speak of Christ's first Advent and second Advent, that is, His first and second comings to earth.

His first Advent would be the Incarnation, Christmas time. The Advent season lasts four

Sundays. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or the nearest Sunday to November 30th.

Advent ends on Christmas Eve and thus is not considered part of the Christmas season. The Advent celebration is both a commemoration of Christ's first coming and an anticipation of His second coming.

As Israel longed for their Messiah to come, so Christians longed for their Savior to come again.

The Eastern Orthodox Church does not observe Advent per se, but they do keep a long fast before Christmas.

In the West, Advent has developed a more festive tone, although many churches also keep a fast and focus on prayer and penitence, akin to what takes place during the

Lenten season. Sometimes Advent is even called Little Lent. Advent is seen as a time to prepare one's heart for Christmas and for the eventual return of Christ and the judgment

He will bring to the world. Churches that observe Advent usually decorate their sanctuaries in the liturgical color of Advent, purple, or in some cases, royal blue.

Some churches change the color to rose on the third or fourth Sunday of Advent to signify a greater emphasis on the joy of the season.

One of the most common Advent traditions involves the use of evergreen wreaths, branches, and trees.

On the first Sunday of Advent, churches and homes are decorated with green to symbolize the eternal life that Jesus brings.

An Advent wreath, an evergreen circle with four colored candles surrounding a white one in the middle, is placed in a prominent spot.

The candles are then lighted one at a time on successive Sundays. The first candle is the candle of hope or expectation.

The three remaining candles on the perimeter are given various meanings, depending on the church. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the center white candle is lighted.

This is the Christ candle, a reminder that Jesus, the light of the world, has come. Advent calendars used to count down the days until Christmas are popular in many homes.

An Advent calendar contains a number of covered windows that are opened one a day, until Christmas Day. Each open window reveals a picture related to the season or a poem or a

Bible verse or a treat of some kind. Many parents find that an Advent calendar is a good way to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas, although there are secular versions of the calendars, too.

Should Christians Observe Advent? This is a matter of personal conviction. Here is the biblical principle.

One person considers one day more sacred than another. Another considers every day alike.

Each of them should be fully convinced, in their own mind, whoever regards one day as special does so to the

Lord. Romans 14, verses 5 and 6. There is certainly nothing wrong with commemorating

Jesus' birth and anticipating His return. Such commemoration and anticipation should be an everyday part of our lives.

Are Christians required to observe Advent? No. Does observing Advent make one a better Christian or more acceptable to God?

No. Can celebrating Advent be a good reminder of what the season is truly all about?

Yes. And therein lies its greatest value. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video!

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