Advent – Why celebrate Advent?
Powerpoint Pictures: Different types of calendars
What types of calendars are there? [Year Calendar; Advent Calendar; Academic Calendar; Family Planner; Liturgical Calendar].
As a church we don’t follow the liturgical or church calendar, but we do mark certain events during the year like Advent.
Why does Advent appear on this church’s calendar?
Here’s the answer: To help us celebrate Jesus saving us.
But don’t we do that every week. Yes we do on Sunday or the Lord’s Day, just like the first followers of Jesus did. “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” (Acts 20:7)
In fact God’s people have celebrated Jesus saving them for thousands of years. The people of Israel celebrated Jesus saving them from slavery in Egypt every Sabbath. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15)
So if we celebrate Jesus saving us every Sunday, why do we need to mark certain events like Advent during the year?
We don’t have to. But it can be good to focus our attention on different parts of Jesus’ saving work.
In addition to the Sabbath, the Jews also had special festivals and occasions to remember what Jesus had done for them including the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.
By marking Advent it helps us to celebrate Jesus saving us by reminding us that God kept His promise to save His people from their sin when Jesus came into the world, and that one day He will keep His promise to bring His people into a new creation when Jesus comes again.
Whilst we don’t need to celebrate Advent I think it is good to do so to help us celebrate Jesus saving us!
(Photo: Hans Kristian Pedersen)