The following is taken from the first pages of Advent: God’s Many Comings – a free resource I created for Advent.
We Christians are a sneaky bunch. Somewhere down the line, someone had the bright idea to call a season in the Church’s calendar “Advent.”
We get “Advent” from “Adventus,” a Latin word which means “coming,” “arrival,” or “approach.” The word was used in ancient Rome to describe the fanfare of an emperor’s entry into his capital city after a military victory. The resonances with the Christian faith – a victorious Sovereign returning to their beloved city after defeating the enemy – are easily recognizable, not to mention, beautiful.
When I was growing up, I thought Advent was basically twiddling my thumbs for Christmas – for the birth of Jesus in a manger. Each year, it seemed we spent a few weeks in make-believe, pretending that Jesus hadn’t come till – surprise! – Christmas brought tidings of great joy (and, more importantly, presents!).
As fun as it was, this annual pretense grew stale as I grew older. I wanted to enter into the season more meaningfully but didn’t know how.
A few years ago, one book (Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year by Philip H. Pfatteicher) changed all that. Advent, properly understood, was never meant to be make-believe. Yes, God has come in human form in the person of Jesus. Over 2,000 years ago in the town of Bethlehem, born to the Virgin Mary, the eternal Word becameflesh and dweltamong us.
However, since at least the 12th century, Christians have emphasized two other divine “comings” or “approaches.” While Jesus is not present on Earth in his exact human form anymore, his presence is with and among us now via the Holy Spirit. The Spirit personifies Jesus’ ongoing presence, communication, and work in our lives. Every moment, every day, God is coming to us in the Spirit one way or another.
There’s more. For all the goodness of the Spirit here and now, we are still waiting to behold the Joy that is immense and good unto the ages through infinite ages. We long – groan – for complete union, to finally see God face to face and hear his voice and tone without dilution. We similarly groan for God’s Kingdom to come fully, making all things right and making all creation new.
To keep our faith and experience of God from becoming lopsided and malnourished, Advent invites us to attend not just to one, but to God’s three comings. Like a three-part harmony, God’s presence and work – and therefore our life of faith – is past, present, and future all at once.
Advent is a perfect season to experience this sweetness afresh. My prayer for you is that you will.
In this resource, I’ll provide a little context for each of the three comings of Advent and then highlight a specific spiritual practice. Some of the practices can be done alone or in a group (even during a church service), and some require more than one person. I encourage you to try them and would love to hear how things felt and what your experience of God was like.
I hope this Advent is meaningful and transformative for you. Our God has come, our God is coming, our God will come again!
With love,
Suhail
Winnipeg
November, 2023
Writing Is Prayer 