Celebrating Advent
The meaning of the word ‘Advent’ is that of a coming or an arrival. The whole focus of the season of Advent is the celebration of the birth of Christ (the first Advent) and the expectation of the return of Christ (the second Advent). This season celebrates the truth about God in the coming of Christ as a baby. Through this, all of creation may be restored in its relationship with God.
The Advent season has the spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation and longing. There is also the hope that the Messiah, the anointed one, will come to bring peace and righteousness to the world. Advent is a celebration, a time of joy and happiness as we await the coming of King Jesus.
The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world is to reveal God and his grace through Jesus’ life and teaching – and also through his suffering, death and resurrection. To reflect this, Advent was originally a time of repentance similar to the season of Lent. This year, Advent begins on the 1 December and finishes with Epiphany on 6 January.
Lutheran Tract Mission (LTM) has many resources available for the Advent season. We have the Advent devotional for families and other devotional resources, activities for the children to understand who is coming at Christmas, and leaflets to understand how to celebrate Advent and why.
Find a way to share the excitement of getting ready for Jesus!
Have a look on the LTM website www.ltm.org.au and search Advent or Advent for Children.
LTM has also prepared the Carols of Christmas devotional for individuals, congregations, schools and aged-care facilities to print and give out to share God’s gift of grace. You will find the Advent devotional on the LTM website at www.ltm.org.au/flipbk/advent-2024
‘The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God’ (John 1:9–12).
Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission’s Tract Development Officer.
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