Advent: A Purpose-Filled Tradition

I grew up as a true Southern Baptist—I’m talking a monthly-potluck-eating, wooden-pew-sitting, Alabama-boondocks-living Southern Baptist. I thought I knew everything there was to know about church by the time I got to grade school. You can imagine my surprise during my junior year of high school when my youth pastor introduced our church to a season called Advent. I had never heard of this tradition before—a four-week period of expectant waiting and preparation as Christians reflect on the birth of Christ and His imminent second coming. I was skeptical when my youth pastor broke out the candles, but once I understood more about this special celebration—I was all in! 

Several years later, I can genuinely say that Advent is one of my favorite times of the year—not the over-commercialized, consumer-driven, cultural-Christmas, but the real deal. The chance to pause and reflect on Jesus is truly a remarkable gift. However, if you are still an Advent-newbie, or you’re still unsure if adding another commitment to your daily routine is worth it this December, I want to give you four reasons why Advent is worth celebrating: 

Advent Reaffirms our Assurance that God Will Keep His Promises.

Few people in the Bible had a more intimate understanding of God’s nature as a promise-keeper than Zechariah and Elizabeth. As a barren couple advanced in years, they were unlikely candidates to become the parents of John the Baptist. However, God is not confined to human likelihoods. After Zechariah had a life changing run-in with an angel (Luke 1: 5-12), he received a promise that changed everything. In Luke 5:13, the angel says, “...Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” 

Imagine an angel from God showing up at your workplace and telling you that your prayer, the thing you have been asking God to do for ages and ages, has been heard, and He is going to answer it! How would you react? Advent reminds us that we do not have to imagine because we do not need a personal encounter with an archangel. We have Christ! 1 John 5:14 says, “...And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  

God hears our prayers—each and every one of them. It does not mean that we will get what we ask for because God is not a genie who bends His will to our fickle desires. However, it does give us assurance that if God heard the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth, He also hears us. If He answered them in a way that was for their good and His glory, then we can rest in the fact that He always acts according to His character, and we can trust that He keeps His promises. 

Advent Renews and Fortifies our Joy 

As Zechariah receives the promise of a lifetime, the angel continues in Luke 5:14-15. He tells Zechariah, “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.” A constant theme throughout the Bible is the work of God reaping a continual harvest of joy. How much more is that true for believers now on this side of the cross? The birth of John the Baptist was undoubtedly exciting, but it was merely a shadow of an even greater birth to come a few months later—the miraculous birth of Jesus!

As many rejoiced with Zechariah and Elizabeth at the birth of their child and the answer to their long-awaited prayer, many more people celebrate today for what John the Baptist heralded throughout his ministry—the coming of our Messiah. Advent is a time when we go back to the basics of our faith in order to put aside our constant busyness and lack of contentment. It is a time to renew our joy by reminding ourselves of the Gospel and what Christ has done for us. It is also a time to fortify (or strengthen) our joy during a season that can be very stressful, over-the-top, or even filled with grief. When our perspective shifts and we incline our hearts to the words and work of God, He transforms our hearts by the rejoicing that follows. 



Advent Reminds us of the Power & Necessity of Prayer.

Prayer, at its most basic definition, is our means of communion (close fellowship) with God. We pray to the Father, through the Son as our intermediary, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a fundamental Christian doctrine, but why does it matter? Prayer is necessary for two reasons: it is a gift that yields persistent grace, and God commands it for our benefit and growth. The heart of true prayer is worship. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

If we could talk to Zechariah today, I am sure he would have alot to teach us about this “renewing of the mind”. After all, the Bible says that both he and Elizabeth were “...righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord'' (Luke 1:6). They echoed the heart of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 far before Paul penned the words: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  

Advent is a time for us to revitalize our commitment to living a lifestyle of worship. One of the primary ways we can do that this Christmas is by reviving our prayer lives. Prayer is powerful, and we see that in all of the Old Testament figures who longed for and asked God for the Christ to come. Prayer is necessary because it is how we recognize God for who He is and praise Him for what He has done. What could be more important this Christmas season than that?

Advent Makes us a “People Prepared” for the Lord. 

Last but certainly not least, Advent prepares the heart of every believer for when Christ returns and makes all things new. The angel told Zechariah that John the Baptist would go before the Lord “...in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:17). John the Baptist was the precursor and forerunner of every modern-day evangelist as he devoted his life to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, thousands of years later, we continue to share this same good news as the church grows and flourishes throughout the world. 

It is important to remember this Advent season that we are no longer worshiping the little baby in the manger, but the royal and triumphant Lion of Judah as he throws open the pathway to freedom by setting the captives free, prevailing over sin and death, and making His glory known across all of His creation. As we celebrate by lighting candles, studying Scripture, and making memories with loved ones, I pray that we reflect on the words of Hebrews 9:27-28 which says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” 

Advent provides an avenue and a worshipful outlet for our waiting, filling us with a restored sense of patience and abundant hope. May we be a “people prepared” as we continue to live out the Great Commission year round and expectantly wait for the victorious return of our Savior, when all creation will proclaim: “...Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Rev. 19:6-7).