You may have seen the creative Advent calendars in shops, which form a countdown to what Christians believe is the most significant event in human history: The birth of Jesus Christ.
In my household, I get treated to a new gift each day in Advent.
My wife thoughtfully hides each day’s treat somewhere and I get a cryptic note that leads me to the treasure.
The greatest gift, of course, is that God came to Earth on that first Christmas Day, in the form of a human, in order to restore his broken relationship with humanity.
Traditionally, Advent has been a time of preparation for the coming of Christ but not just his birth at Christmas.
Advent looks back at Christ’s birth but also forward to his return. The four Advent themes that many churches focus on between now and Christmas day are: hope, love, joy and peace. These four themes help us see something of the significance of Jesus Christ’s entry into human history.
Hope is described in the Bible as a certainty, not wishful thinking. Christ’s birth showed us that God was doing something to address the state of the world. Rebellion against God (otherwise known as sin) has wrought much pain on humanity and the planet.
But the coming of Christ anchors our expectation that all wrongs will be addressed by God once and for all time.
Love is demonstrated in action.
Words don’t mean much without action and in the Bible, the love that God has for His people is demonstrated in the way he sent Jesus into the world to be an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world.
That means that when Jesus died on the cross, every sin was nailed to the cross with him. When we seek God’s forgiveness, our sins are dealt with and not counted against us.
Joy is the natural and appropriate response to knowing that we are forgiven.
The Bible says we all fall short of the glory of God and yet, because Jesus paid the price for our rebellion against God, we can live lives full of joy knowing that we are welcomed into God’s family as his beloved children and heirs of God’s Kingdom.
Peace is the state of completeness that those whose faith and trust is in Jesus experience when they accept God’s offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
When we know we are loved, forgiven and accepted, the stresses of life fade away and we are free to live joyful lives of loving service to others as well.
In reality, the constant message of Christianity revolves around the four themes of Advent. However, they are not just to be remembered as history but as a pattern for the future too.
One day, there will be another Advent, when Jesus Christ returns to gather up his people and establish his Kingdom finally and fully.
On that day, the Bible says in Philippians chapter 2 that: “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In that Kingdom there will be no more crying, grief or pain for those whose hope was based on God’s love in Christ Jesus and whose joy has resulted in a peace which cannot be experienced any other way.
This Christmas, I invite you to go back to basics. Check out your local church and celebrate the event that divided history in two: Before Christ and since.
Reverend Phil Zamagias,
Christ Church Anglican, Echuca
28°C