Advent: It’s Not Christmas, Yet
Advent is not Christmas. Just as Lent is not Easter. This ought to go without saying, yet in our consumer-driven, American culture Christmas seems to start earlier every year. We are inundated with secularized Christmas potpourri; the santa’s are out in full force and “Jingle Bells” is playing in every retail store. At this rate, by Christmas Day, Americans will have had enough of candy canes and caroling and be ready to move on to Valentine’s cards and St Patrick’s shamrocks. Our culture moves so quickly from feasts to feast, we don’t know how to fast. Not in the Scriptural sense.
Our Lord gives us gifts in superabundance; chiefly forgiveness, life, and salvation through His sacred Means. At times, without adequate preparation, we become complacent with these gifts. We are told and taught how to prepare to properly receive these gifts. For instance, the Small Catechism encourages fasting and bodily preparation before receiving the Lord’s Supper. The front cover of the Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal in our pews, has appropriate prayers that may be used to prepare for the entrance into the church, before Confession and Absolution, before (and after) the Sacrament of the Altar. Our Lord desires to give to us, but not without proper preparation. His Law precedes His Gospel, preparing our hearts for Him.
Advent is pregnant with the expectation of Christmas. The gestation is only four weeks (or perhaps seven, if we count the last Sundays of the Church Year as “pre-Advent) as compared to the nine months of St Mary’s pregnancy with our Lord. As with the expectant arrival of the newborn, the Church eagerly prepares to celebrate the Incarnation and Nativity of our Lord. The pregnancy is not the birth; Advent is not Christmas. And so we wait. And as we wait, we pray and fast and give alms. For these three practices are consistent with repentance and faith, both in Scripture and in Church history.
During Advent our Lord calls us to repentance through the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” That is, He sends St John the Baptist. John prepares the royal highway with the fiery preaching of the Law of God, condemning every sin, laying bear every heart before the Lord. Sin is real and its effects are devastating. If gone unchecked, its consequences can be eternally damning. Our Lord cannot dwell in hearts and minds that house sin and impenitence. His Law drives us to our knees in repentance, calling us away from our false beliefs and idols. He breaks us down in order to build us up. He kills in order to make alive.
Don’t misunderstand me, however, Advent is not all gloom and doom, or devoid o joy. In fact, repentance brings the greatest joy. I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:10). The liturgy evens declares, “with repentant joy” we give thanks to God. St Paul in various places says that the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is the great mystery of the faith (Eph 3:4; Col 1:27; 2:2; 4:3). How shall you meet your coming Lord? Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Ps 51:10-13; 16-17).
In this way the season of Advent is but a microcosm of the Christian’s life. We live in continual repentance and faith; constantly preparing for and meeting our Lord who comes to us. Our Lord who comes to us, to give, also sends His messengers to give us His Word leading to repentance. He prepares us to properly receive Him!
With this in mind, we will hold off on decorating the sanctuary this year for Christmas until after the Divine Service on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22nd. We will eagerly wait in repentant joy for the celebration and praise of Christ’s birth among us on Christmas. To aid our preparation we will keep back the decorations, the trees, the creche, the banners, knowing that our Lord prepares us to properly greet Him. Then, on the Eve of Christmas, we will enter the house of the Lord to the great sight of all the accompaniment of the lavish decorations and festivities of Christmas. We shall fast, then we will really feast!
In the Name of our Coming King,
Your unworthy servant,
Pastor Mierow
Advent is not Christmas. Just as Lent is not Easter. This ought to go without saying, yet in our consumer-driven, American culture Christmas seems to start earlier every year. We are inundated with secularized Christmas potpourri; the santa’s are out in full force and “Jingle Bells” is playing in every retail store. At this rate, by Christmas Day, Americans will have had enough of candy canes and caroling and be ready to move on to Valentine’s cards and St Patrick’s shamrocks. Our culture moves so quickly from feasts to feast, we don’t know how to fast. Not in the Scriptural sense.
Our Lord gives us gifts in superabundance; chiefly forgiveness, life, and salvation through His sacred Means. At times, without adequate preparation, we become complacent with these gifts. We are told and taught how to prepare to properly receive these gifts. For instance, the Small Catechism encourages fasting and bodily preparation before receiving the Lord’s Supper. The front cover of the Lutheran Service Book, the hymnal in our pews, has appropriate prayers that may be used to prepare for the entrance into the church, before Confession and Absolution, before (and after) the Sacrament of the Altar. Our Lord desires to give to us, but not without proper preparation. His Law precedes His Gospel, preparing our hearts for Him.
Advent is pregnant with the expectation of Christmas. The gestation is only four weeks (or perhaps seven, if we count the last Sundays of the Church Year as “pre-Advent) as compared to the nine months of St Mary’s pregnancy with our Lord. As with the expectant arrival of the newborn, the Church eagerly prepares to celebrate the Incarnation and Nativity of our Lord. The pregnancy is not the birth; Advent is not Christmas. And so we wait. And as we wait, we pray and fast and give alms. For these three practices are consistent with repentance and faith, both in Scripture and in Church history.
During Advent our Lord calls us to repentance through the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” That is, He sends St John the Baptist. John prepares the royal highway with the fiery preaching of the Law of God, condemning every sin, laying bear every heart before the Lord. Sin is real and its effects are devastating. If gone unchecked, its consequences can be eternally damning. Our Lord cannot dwell in hearts and minds that house sin and impenitence. His Law drives us to our knees in repentance, calling us away from our false beliefs and idols. He breaks us down in order to build us up. He kills in order to make alive.
Don’t misunderstand me, however, Advent is not all gloom and doom, or devoid o joy. In fact, repentance brings the greatest joy. I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:10). The liturgy evens declares, “with repentant joy” we give thanks to God. St Paul in various places says that the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is the great mystery of the faith (Eph 3:4; Col 1:27; 2:2; 4:3). How shall you meet your coming Lord? Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Ps 51:10-13; 16-17).
In this way the season of Advent is but a microcosm of the Christian’s life. We live in continual repentance and faith; constantly preparing for and meeting our Lord who comes to us. Our Lord who comes to us, to give, also sends His messengers to give us His Word leading to repentance. He prepares us to properly receive Him!
With this in mind, we will hold off on decorating the sanctuary this year for Christmas until after the Divine Service on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22nd. We will eagerly wait in repentant joy for the celebration and praise of Christ’s birth among us on Christmas. To aid our preparation we will keep back the decorations, the trees, the creche, the banners, knowing that our Lord prepares us to properly greet Him. Then, on the Eve of Christmas, we will enter the house of the Lord to the great sight of all the accompaniment of the lavish decorations and festivities of Christmas. We shall fast, then we will really feast!
In the Name of our Coming King,
Your unworthy servant,
Pastor Mierow
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