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Series: Advent
Rich Wooten
Luke 1:26-56
Advent means: the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event Latin word adventus: ''coming''
For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives:
1. Sharing in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah
2. Being alert for his Second Coming. For four weeks, we ''re-enact'' what believers went through thousands of years ago. Similarly, we, too, are experiencing the anticipation and longing of Christ. This time we long for His return, where he will set everything right again!
History
1. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God's incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). Baptisms in that time would happen once a year, so the preparation was super important and the anticipation was enduring! During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.
2. By the 6th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the ''coming'' they had in mind was not Christ's first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world.
3. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ's first coming at Christmas.
Churches around the world now celebrate this time with:
1. Decorations
2. Music: ''O Come O Come Emmanuel'' is known as the Advent hymn
3. Fasting: associated with Advent was a period of fasting, known also as the Nativity Fast or the Fast of December
4. Candles
a. Fami ...
Series: Advent
Rich Wooten
Luke 1:26-56
Advent means: the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event Latin word adventus: ''coming''
For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives:
1. Sharing in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah
2. Being alert for his Second Coming. For four weeks, we ''re-enact'' what believers went through thousands of years ago. Similarly, we, too, are experiencing the anticipation and longing of Christ. This time we long for His return, where he will set everything right again!
History
1. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God's incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). Baptisms in that time would happen once a year, so the preparation was super important and the anticipation was enduring! During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.
2. By the 6th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the ''coming'' they had in mind was not Christ's first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world.
3. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ's first coming at Christmas.
Churches around the world now celebrate this time with:
1. Decorations
2. Music: ''O Come O Come Emmanuel'' is known as the Advent hymn
3. Fasting: associated with Advent was a period of fasting, known also as the Nativity Fast or the Fast of December
4. Candles
a. Fami ...
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