The Season of Waiting

Dear Christ Church,

This Sunday we enter Advent, the start of a new Christian year. Christians measure time differently than the world; we attune ourselves to liturgical seasons following the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus followed then by the descent of the Spirit. I’ve shared this short video before as a concise way to learn and understand the church calendar. Each liturgical season has themes that help us remember the work of God in our world and our response and His followers.

Advent is a season of waiting and longing, of patience in suffering as we yearn for healing and justice in the world that we are aware is not yet all right. In this waiting, we find companionship with the saints of the Old Testament looking forward to the Messiah as we journey towards the Feast of the Incarnation, Christmas. We also live with the saints of the New Testament waiting for our King to come again, the second Advent of Jesus Christ. Advent signals we live in the in-between time, an overlapping space, where the new world has begun but the old world has not yet passed away. Advent is the Season of Waiting–waiting for the King to come again.

Bobby Gross writes in Living the Christian Year,

Advent is the season for waiting. We wait for the coming of God. We need him to come. Our world is messed up, and we are messed up. We lament our condition and long for God to set things right, to make us better. So we pray and watch.

There are many practices this season that fit into the theme of waiting: from prayer and fasting, to quiet days, advent wreaths, candle lighting, and many more. Our family hangs up a large butcher paper in the living room with a title that says “Longings” where everyone writes and draws notes representing the longings we have for the King to come again. We’ve put together this page of resources to help you keep the season of Advent. I hope you will take a look and find practices that best fit you.

Peace,
Matt+