I have a hard time describing Advent to people who ask about it. People often already have associations with the word and then I add in “well, I do this” and “we did that” and I leave the conversation pretty certain I’ve only confused them more. I’m good at that sort of thing, it seems.
But the other day I found myself thinking, “gosh, I can’t wait till December starts! Then I’ll finally get to slow down.” And then I realized what Advent is, to me anyway, if I could define it in a “subjective-experiential” sense:
Advent is like a vacation. I invite God to vacation at my house for a whole month. We spend time just hanging out, we do fun stuff like parties, we do normal stuff like the laundry, and there are really great times and really average times, but by the end of the month, I am closer to him and we’ve had a good time together.
Maybe some people are like that with God all the time. It could be that at some point in my faith, I’ll be like too. But right now, so often it is, “God, I’d really love to chat more, but the kids are screaming/dinner is burning/I’ve got someone else on the other line…I’ll catch you later.”
And so for now, Advent helps me experience Immanuel: God with us. He is just here, with me, while the kids are screaming/dinner is burning/someone calls on the other line. Sort of like how it would be if I had family visiting for that length of time (only way, way easier since he doesn’t make extra work and he gets on my nerves a lot less) where there’d be special times and normal times, but doing all of it with a sort of awareness that someone special is there.
I don’t know if describing Advent in those terms makes any more sense than all the previously-used terms that haven’t. But I do know that Advent completely changed my Christmas season — for the better.
You can’t really formulate “how to do Advent right” any more than you can the good times with friends and family, and so it is equally as hard to answer that question. But I did see some patterns and some areas where my approach to the season had changed, so I can at least share my experience with those:
Worship|Reflection – personally contemplating and rejoicing in Jesus coming, past, present & future
Traditions|Memories – creating and practicing family traditions, which make memories and establish basic faith concepts through repetition and symbol
Giving|Loving – showing love to friends, family, and community through gifts and acts of service
Purpose|Structure – establishing a focus for activity to help cultivate meaning and enjoyment:
Beyond that, here are more thoughts regarding Advent and the Christmas season:
what is Advent? – a basic introduction to the season of Advent and how it is traditionally celebrated
why Advent? – why you might consider “going Advent” this Christmas
my Advent story – how I “discovered” Advent
Advent 2008: The Plan – my themes and activities for…yep, Advent 2008
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