Living in Between

The word advent, literally defined, just simply means “coming.” And so the purpose of Advent season oftentimes is thought of as a time to look back and to remember when Jesus came: His coming as a Christ-child, His coming as a baby in a manger, as the long-awaited and promised Messiah who would save the people from their sins. So that tends to be how we think of Advent. It’s looking back and remembering when Jesus came the first time. But Advent also is meant to cause us to look ahead, to anticipate. So it’s both a season of celebration and a season of anticipation, where we remember that Jesus came but we prepare ourselves for the truth that He will come…that He will come again. So we want to celebrate the birth of Jesus; we want to anticipate the return of Jesus during this time of the year especially.