Introduction

The season of Advent, which is the start of the annual Christian calendar, encompasses the four weeks leading up to Christmas. The English word Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.” During this season, we highlight the fact that we are a people awaiting the return—the advent—of Jesus to his world and his people. We also look back upon his first advent, Christ’s coming in humility as a helpless baby, and we remember the anticipation and expectation of God’s people awaiting the coming of the Messiah.

Advent is a season of preparation, waiting, longing, and expectation. Living in a beautiful but broken world, our central hope is that Jesus, the world’s true King, is going to return to right all wrongs, remove all sin and evil, and redeem his world and his people. We all know, however, that this hope can be all too easily obscured by present sorrows and worldly distractions. During Advent, we focus on this hope again with the aim of renewing it in our lives.

While we long for the return of Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:20), we also realize that we’re not as ready as we would like to be to meet the Holy One face-to-face. We’re not simply innocent bystanders in a broken world; we contribute to that brokenness as we sin against God and against our neighbor. So as we rekindle our hope, we also renew our repentance in Advent, knowing that God, by his all-sufficient grace, is faithful to cleanse us (1 John 1:9) and to make us more ready to meet Jesus when he returns.