Advent - Living a Life of Expectant Waiting

Advent

For years I’ve heard the word and yet I haven’t paid much attention to it. References to the “advent season” and the lighting of candles in December just seemed to be another holiday tradition that I never thought much about.

What does “advent” mean? When I looked up the definition, a new perspective stirred within me. “Advent” is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.” In particular, the words “expectant waiting” got my attention. Advent is about expectant waiting. The anticipated birth of Jesus was the first advent and was certainly one of expectant waiting. When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, expectancy was birthed in the heart of the young peasant girl. Mary’s expectancy was birthed from a message from God. Expectancy flooded her thoughts and feelings with wonder, suspense and anticipation. God was giving His gift to the world and she was to be the gift wrapping for His present. Yet, simultaneously with the birth of expectancy a period of waiting was conceived.

Advent is about expectancy. Advent is about waiting. Advent is expectant waiting. Advent is about promise and hope. Advent is about anticipation and longing and yearning for what is to come. Can you remember as a child when you saw a gift with your name on it under the Christmas tree? Did you have a sense of expectant waiting? If you did, you were having an advent moment. That gift birthed expectation and yet left you in a state of waiting.

Experiencing the excitement of advent is not something that should just be experienced at Christmas. For Advent, (the idea of “expectant waiting”) is what I have often experienced as a follower of Christ. Every day is a day of advent, a day of expectant waiting. When the Spirit of Christ entered my life as a teenager a life of expectant waiting was born in me. Based on His promises, I am learning to expect more and more from Him as my merciful, gracious and loving father. While I am fully aware that I have done nothing to deserve my adoption of me as his son, I do expect Him to be there when I need him.

At the same time, the relationship I have with him now is not all there is. There is more. There is more to come and for this I must wait. I must live in expectant waiting. I live in advent moments everyday as I live in expectant waiting for what I know is still to come. For his coming again is like a gift under the Christmas tree that has my name on it; and one day I’ll get to open it and for that I expectantly wait.