Advent: Looking Forward

Advent: Looking Forward

Advent has a special meaning all its own, which gently draws us forward into the whole Christmas season.  It is a time of preparation and expectation that keeps Christmas and the incarnation, the birth, of Jesus in view, but beyond that, Advent looks forward to the second coming of Jesus on the Last Day.  The word, Advent, comes from the Latin word, adventus, which means “coming,” and adventus is a translation of the Greek word, parousia, which is also used to describe the 2nd coming of Jesus.  I love how that all fits together!

Historically, Advent was a season of preparation and looking forward to the Feast of Epiphany, when recent converts to Christianity would be baptized.  As early as the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., it was a time of penance, prayer, and fasting that preceded the feast of Epiphany.  Epiphany was and is a natural extension of Christmas, as Epiphany celebrates Christ’s appearing to the nations.

December 1st marks the “advent” of Advent this year, and, along with the changing of the altar paraments to blue, Advent brings many wonderful things to look forward to!

Here at CLC, we’re truly blessed to have Advent festivities old and new that are coming our way!  Here’s a sampling:

• Mon., Dec. 2, at 8 a.m.: Christmas decorating in church
• Thurs., Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m.: Christmas Concert, patterned after the “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols”
• Fri., Dec. 6: 5:30-8:30 p.m. & Sat., Dec. 7, 1-4pm: The Bethlehem Walk
• Sun., Dec. 8, 7:50 a.m.: The Madrigal Singers will be coming to sing for us before our worship service!
• Sun., Dec. 8, after the worship services or as long as supplies last: The Cookie Walk and Craft Sale
• Thurs., Dec. 12, 6:30 p.m.: The PUPPET Christmas Presentation & Worship: “A Tree-Lot Christmas”
• Sun., Dec. 15, 2 p.m.: The Sunday School Christmas Program
• Thurs., Dec. 19, 6:30 p.m.: An Advent Vespers Service (Different from the Following Sunday Service)

Notice that there is something special each Thursday evening in December before Christmas!  Please join us for all the great opportunities, listed throughout this newsletter, that we have for worship, fellowship, and sharing in the love, joy, peace and hope of the Advent Season!

Also, we have a “Reverse Advent Calendar,” included in last week’s newsletter and available in the narthex or church office. If you choose to join in this project, just put the food item in a box each day, and bring your box to the Winter Wonderland at Wildwood Zoo, or, if you prefer, bring the box to one of the Christmas Eve worship services, and we’ll deliver it for you!
Looking forward to seeing you this Advent!

In Christ’s love,
Pastor Daryn