The word "Advent" in its purest form means, "a coming into being or use". Of course in the Church we see Advent as a time of preparation; a time to prepare for the celebration of the incarnation, the indwelling of God in man in the person of Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist was announcing the "coming into being", of Immanuel, God with us. He was heralding that something special was happening; something new; that something incredible was about to happen. John's commission from God was more than "preparing the way" it was also about preparing the people. In essences he was saying, "Repent, for a new reality is about to dawn upon creation."
So what does this season, this word Advent mean to us? Is it simply a season we set aside to prepare for our Christmas celebration? Is it just a time to get the Christmas lights up and buy our gifts for Christmas or is there more? How can Advent be a time or personal spiritual growth for us?
John's message was one of joyful anticipation for God's goodness and love to be revealed in the person of his Son, Yeshua. And now, you and I have the joy of having received this Son and have been made children of God. But the meaning of Advent, the joyful anticipation of God's goodness and love in our personal lives is still something we can purpose to live into. Do we face every day with joyful anticipation that we will experience the goodness and love of God in the person of Jesus Christ? Do we celebrate a new Advent, not just as the 4 or 5 Sundays before Christmas, but on a daily basis?
I would like to encourage you to approach each day in anticipation that God is going to do something awesome today, now, in you and through you. He really wants to.
In the song "O Holy Night" we sing about "the thrill of hope" and John's message was one of tremendous joy and hope because God was about to fulfill what he had promised in Messiah Jesus. This "hope" is really a joyful expectation of God's move on earth and you and I as born-again Christians share that "hope". God is on the move (he never stops) in your life. Look forward in each day to the joyful anticipation, the hope of God moving in your life, today. He is for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31).
Wishing you a blessed Advent and Christmas season,
Jim+
Christ is our Hope. We pray that the light of God will shine into the darkness of the earth and be a beacon to others. We wait with expectation and hope for God’s new work in us and remember God's promise that Christ will come again. Joyce Meyer