What is Advent?

We’ve all heard of Christmas, right?  We know Christmas is when Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and we celebrate this event on December 25!  It is a special time for our families and for the church.  But what is Advent? 

According to the United Methodist Website, resourceumc.org, the word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming” or “visit.”  On the church calendar Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends Christmas Eve.  It is also the beginning of the church year for Christians!

Again, from the website:

During Advent, we prepare for and anticipate the coming of Christ. We remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah and our own longing for and need of forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning. Even as we look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus in a humble stable in Bethlehem, we also look forward anticipating the second coming of Christ as the fulfillment of all that was promised by his first coming.

https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/to-be-united-methodist-what-is-advent

Interestingly, on the church calendar, the Christmas season begins at sundown December 24 and ends on January 6, the Epiphany of the Lord (look for a future article on Epiphany!).  This is referred to as “the 12 days of Christmas!”

Did you know that the church calendar has colors that represent different times of the year?  Well, it does!  The color for Advent has traditional been purple (although it can be blue too.  You will notice that the drape on the cross is purple as are the banners on the Advent candles.  The website states that the “United Methodist Book of Worship upholds the traditional color of purple for Advent, signifying penitence and royalty, but also allows blue, the color of hope.”

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