Why Advent?

Is Advent biblical? The short answer is no. Advent is not in the Bible. What is deeply rooted in the Bible are the themes of Advent, preparation and anticipation along with hope, joy peace, and love. The celebration of Advent was not orginally celebrated, that would come much later around the 4th century.

Throughout the Bible we find stories of people waiting for the fulfilment of God's promises. Some see them within their lifetime while for others those promises would come much later. 

Genesis 12:2-3 (God's promise to Abraham):  2 And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; 3 and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 

God's promise to Abraham is ultimately fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ.

In John 8:56 Jesus tells us,  56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 

This is but one of God's promises. During Advent we celebrate the original waiting for the Messiah as well as Jesus' return as Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:29-31:

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 

Jesus is coming back and we need to be spiritually prepared. We do that through daily prayer, worship, Bible study, repentance, and living a faithful and obedient life.

James 5:7 we are told to be patient - 7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

Jesus tells us to keep watch - Matthew 25:13 -  13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

Thes are but a few of the scriptures that remind us to be prepared for Christ's return and Advent reminds us to focus on these biblical principles.

Join us as we remember Jesus' birth and arrival as a baby and prepare for His return as our King.