Advent Reflections

You may be reading this blog after wading through a season of Advent. Advent is part of a liturgical calendar, followed by millions of Christians worldwide across various denominations. Advent is all about the season of anticipation.

Whether it’s various gifts given to us by family or friends on special dates, seeing family you’ve not seen for far too long, or the inescapable daydream of a much-needed holiday, anticipation is no stranger to many. Anticipation implies both waiting and preparation. You may buy a gift, set the places at a table, or book your ticket to enjoy an Aussie summer Christmas! Either way, waiting for something and preparing for something includes our activity.

To begin exploring this, I want to pose three questions.

1. Does the arrival of different things bring about alternate preparatory choices?

2. What kinds of activities might be a well-intentioned misstep during this season?

3. Toward which kind of activities can we re-orient ourselves?

Once we explore these questions, we may be more clearly able to acknowledge & prepare for the beautiful Christmastide season.

The word advent means arrival. The question follows, the arrival of what? Often, believers have a rather simplistic response — “Jesus, of course!”

But this answer betrays the intricacy, significance and depth that remains unexplored. The coming of Jesus to Earth is known formally as the doctrine of the Incarnation. Incarnation is an old Latin word, simply meaning, ‘in the flesh’.

Often, the implication is that something that did not have flesh before is now expressed or manifest in the flesh. What is this ‘thing’ that did not have flesh beforehand? Historically, the church has attempted to explain this using the word ‘logos’ – something you can see playing out in St John’s Gospel prologue. (Jn. 1:1-5)

The claim goes that the divine ‘logos’, a Greek word with a variety of usages and meanings including: ‘speech’, ‘talking’, & ‘message’, but more commonly, and in particular John’s case – ‘Word.’ This divine Word is used to describe Jesus’ taking on a human nature. To live and dwell among humanity. What’s more, Jesus comes as an infant, not as a ready-made messianic man, ready to take on the word. The logos comes humbly, enwrapped in flesh, swaddled in blankets, exhibiting the base fragility that is humanity. But also, a child represents much more than fragility; it signifies new life, a new legacy, new beginnings, and a future. I love what Isaiah does in his prophetic work with this phrase, “For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us” (Is. 9:6)

Jesus comes not only as a nursing babe but as a gift – a gift from the Father, who loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten son. Arguably the most precious gift to ever be bestowed upon humanity.

The Nativity of Christ Iconography

Another reason for this supernatural event is intrinsically linked to its motivation. Why did the Father send his Son in such a fashion? My response here will inevitably be brief – given it took over 500 bishops over a month to hash the details out at Chalcedon – but it will attempt to show the breadth & depth of what has been done. Jesus was born with two natures; one divine, one person. These natures are unconfused, unchangeable, indivisible, and inseparable; this is known as the hypostatic union and is inextricably linked to Jesus’ work on the cross.

In an attempt to explain this mystery, Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers, says the following in his letter to Cledonius in the fourth century. “For that which He has not assumed He has not healed, but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved.” In other words, just as God dwelt in creation entirely when He created it, so also must He inhabit humanity fully when restoring it. With all this theology on the table. The question at hand return to us. The arrival of what?

The arrival of the eternal Son of God, as a gift from the Father, for all creation. So that it might be saved and redeemed through the submission of a perfect Spirit-empowered life, offered up in a cruel death on the cross, so that humanity may once more be reconciled to God and enjoy him forever.

Advent is the season in which we have expected the arrival. Christmas is the season we’ll celebrate and worship him. I encourage you not to neglect gift-giving, meeting with family and taking time off from work. However, while you do so, remember to celebrate the most perfect gift ever bestowed upon us. Take pause and recognise the enormity of the incarnational moment of the logos’ descent into creation and the invitation to break bread with him. Be present in your rest, remembering all that has been done and all that is to come.