In Christianity, we call the season of Christmas “Advent.” Now Advent is a word that simply means “coming” or “arriving”, and there is a pattern to it every year. There is an annual rhythm to Advent which is also like an annual practice for the second coming of the Savior Jesus to earth – and it begins with Preparation.
From the foundations of the earth – from the moment of humanity’s first sin against God – He was making preparations to come to us, to be our Savior.
God prepared a special people – the Hebrews – through whom He would bless all the peoples of the earth with saving grace. God prepared a special location – Israel – to arrive to the earth. He prepared even a specific family line, through Judah, down to King David, on down to Joseph & Mary, to be born into the world.
Some people anticipated His Arrival. There were those like Simeon & Anna, who were anticipating the Arrival of the Savior. They looked forward to His coming – they were ready! – and they welcomed His Arrival.
And then, just as suddenly and surprisingly as a thief in the night – He came. Jesus was born into a lowly farmhouse, not far from the shepherds’ field in the small village of Bethlehem, and the angels heralded the Arrival of humanity’s Savior to these unlikely workers.
And then, there is the Response that His Arrival requires of all humankind: we can either welcome Him & receive Him as Savior & Lord, or reject Him as Savior & Lord.
And that rhythm, that pattern of Advent – that’s what all of this is preparing us for: the day that God came to earth, as an infant, to grow into a man, to experience human life, to live & walk & work among
us – as one of us. His life & death would redeem mankind – His Resurrection would conquer sin, death, and the grave – FOREVER! All of heaven and all of creation sings & celebrates & rejoices at the wonderful, unfathomable miracle of Jesus!
Advent culminates with Christmas Eve – the night before which all creation looks forward to the Arrival of Jesus. On Christmas Eve, the long wait for His Arrival comes to an end – and the next morning, Christmas morning, the celebration of Emmanuel – God with us – begins!
Let’s look together at how the Arrival of Jesus is described for us in the Gospel of Matthew…
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
So this pattern of Advent: Preparation, Anticipation, Arrival, and Response – and it was not just a one-time pattern for that very first Christmas. We also rehearse this pattern every year in December as we prepare for, look forward to, and respond to the Second Arrival of Jesus, the Savior of humankind, to the earth.
