This Sunday, December 1, marks the first Sunday in the season of the church calendar known as Advent. That statement likely brings up a few questions in your mind. The first of which likely has to do with the Church calendar. You may be wondering, “What in the world is the church calendar?”
I’m glad you asked. We all live according to some type of calendar; a system that orders our days and seasons. In the western world we live according to the Gregorian calendar which was instituted in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. Over the course of our normal calendar year we experience certain seasons like summer and winter in San Antonio (it’s rumored other areas of the country also experience spring and fall). And we celebrate certain special days - we call them holidays - like President’s Day and Memorial Day and July 4th.
Just like the society we’re apart of orders its life around a calendar - looking forward to certain days and seasons - the Church throughout history has also ordered its life together around a calendar known as the Church calendar. While we can fully engage in our society’s calendar and enjoy it, we also have our own special calendar as the Church. This calendar very intentionally follows along with the life of Christ through the year. From the anticipation of his arrival known as the Advent season, to his birth known as the Christmas season, to remembering his journey to Jerusalem to die which is known as Lent, to his final week where we celebrate Palm Sunday and Good Friday and Easter, to the season of ordinary time where we focus on growing in normal, mundane life as followers of Jesus. The Church has always ordered it’s life according to a calendar that is intended to shape and form our focus as the Church through the year.
This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent. Advent is a word that means arrival. It is a season where the Church around the world patiently waits and longs for the arrival of the Savior. In this season we look back at Christ’s once in history coming in humility and we look forward to when he will come again in glory. Advent is meant to be a season characterized by hopeful longing.
As Christians that live in a time where Christ has already come in humility but has not yet come in glory, we look back at Christ’s first coming with joy and thankfulness. We also look forward to Christ’s second coming with expectation and anticipation. Over the course of the next 4 Sundays we will sing hymns that both express the longing for Christ to come fully make all things new and express our joy over the fact that Christ has already come to truly begin his work of renewal with his incarnation.
Over the next four weeks, we will throw ourselves into the season of Advent as a church on Sunday mornings. We would also love to invite you to jump into this season of eager expectation at home. With that in mind, below are a few links to some resources that you might find encouraging and helpful as you enter the season of Advent.
Jesus Storybook Bible Children Advent Devotional
Trinity Grace Church Advent Guide (Written by Pastor Michael - Sundays not included since we gather to worship as a community that day.)