When you hear the word ‘Advent’ the first thing that might come to mind are those cardboard Christmas pictures numbered one to twenty-five with flaps of cheap chocolate hidden underneath. If you’ve never seen these before, peruse the Christmas aisle in Walmart and you will be sure to spot many different kinds: Paw Patrol, Avengers, Barbie, Santa’s workshop or winter themes – you name it! These ‘countdowns to Christmas Day’ are all the rage, and in particular if you’re a kid! For those who don’t attend a church (and for even some that do!), that might be the extent of what you know of advent. In fact, counting down to Christmas is a huge part of what Advent is. The child-like sense of anticipation counting down the days until your next day’s cheap chocolate with the culmination of all of that excitement landing fully on the twenty fifth. This mimics the feeling of anticipation that we should have while waiting on Jesus! Ultimately, that is what Advent is: a time of preparation and celebration. Do you take advantage of all of the celebrations of the Christmas season?
For those of you who know me, you know that Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. Do you know who Nora Krank is? She is the wife of Tim Allen’s character from the classic Christmas movie Christmas with the Kranks. I aspire to be her when I grow up . . . Tacky Christmas vest and all! But, do these kinds of things take us away from Jesus at Christmas? Christians around Christmas time share the message that “Jesus is the reason for the season”. We remind people not to get caught up in all of the Christmas decoration, celebrations, family feasts, Santa Clause movies, gifts, etc. But what if, instead of deeming these things as distractions from Jesus during the Christmas season, we saw them more as ways to celebrate and point to Him? They are part of what is special about Advent because they move our hearts to expect and celebrate: all of the tree trimming, cookie baking, family games, dinners, eggnog and yes, even presents. We just have to be intentional about turning these things into celebrations for Jesus.
THE LOST ART OF CELEBRATION
As Christians in North America, we have lost the art of celebration. We are often too busy, tired or consumed in other parts of our lives to pause and participate in celebrating. But, celebrating is something we have to make room for in our lives – it requires intentionality. The Israelites knew how to throw a party: singing, dancing, live music, wine, feasting – all the works! Celebrating was a big part of their culture because God asked them to do it. With God on their side blessing them and loving them, they had lots to celebrate. And God didn’t just invite them to celebrate Him and His goodness as an act of worship, but He invited them in to celebrate with Him. Some of the parties that God invited His people to included celebrating the building of the wall in Nehemiah 12, the Festival of Shelters, the year of Jubilee, the birth of Jesus (the shepherds, wise men, and angels celebrated the birth of Jesus with gifts and songs) and finally, the big celebratory feast in Heaven foreshadowed in Revelation. Jesus even performed His first miracle on earth at a wedding feast by turning water into wine so that the celebrating could continue. Our God is not boring! Rather, He is the God of the celebration and He is inviting His people to celebrate.
AN INVITATION TO CELEBRATE
This invitation to celebrate has been put before you too. It is signed, sealed and it has been delivered. Will you accept it? Celebrating should be a part of the heart beat of the church. After all, as people who are saved and free, we have much to celebrate! Celebrating manifests itself during our Sunday morning services through praise and worship, through greeting and serving one another, through sharing blessings and God’s provisions as we tithe, and in the entire environment of your Sunday School classrooms. I mean, have you ever stepped foot into your church’s children’s discipleship time? Their child-like faith, excitement, curiosity, and love for Jesus is contagious and definitely a party we should all want to be a part of; the kids know how to celebrate with Jesus on Sunday mornings. Does your heart engage in the celebration each week as you attend your Sunday church service?
“Celebration is central to all the Spiritual Disciplines. Without a joyful spirit of festivity the disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees.”
Celebration of Discipline by: Richard Foster
Some of the exact details of what we celebrate today are different from what the Israelites celebrated back in the day (eg. Festival of Shelters versus birthday parties). However, we can learn a lot from how they celebrated. I don’t often say ‘let’s learn from the Israelites example’, but in this case, there are some serious notes we can take from them on the topic of celebration.
About seven years ago, I was a part of a young adults women’s Bible study. Over the summer our group studied the book of Esther. That book of the Bible is filled with some serious celebrating. We became curious about the celebrations we were reading about and so we researched the ones mentioned in Esther, wanting to know why and how they celebrated what they did. That year, my women’s Bible study decided to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Shelters. We pitched a tent in the yard and lived outside for a week just as the Jews did to celebrate this very same thing (Deuteronomy 16). We would sleep in the tent, go to work in the day, reconvene each evening to eat together, worship and continue our Bible study. Was it weird to do that? Yes. But it is also one of the best memories from that year because it was so fun! Our community grew closer to one another and to Jesus in that week as we set aside time to intentionally celebrate. This leads me to my first point about what we can learn from the Israelites about how we should celebrate . . . in community. Yes, you can celebrate things on your own, but the impact (the joy and the worship) becomes even deeper when you take that invitation to celebrate and extend it to others. The celebrations we read about in scripture are seldom (if ever) celebrated alone. Similarly, celebrating your birthday alone is WAY less fulfilling than celebrating with your friends and family. Invite others in to celebrate with you.
Second, invite Jesus into your celebrations. I said above that God invites you in to celebrate, but remember that He also wants to celebrate with you. There are lots of things we can ‘celebrate’ now a days that aren’t normally ‘about God’ but that we as Christians can make about Him. For example, when we celebrate our birthday, we make that day about us. I mean, go ahead and celebrate you and the day you were born and invite others in on this! That’s great stuff. But, take some time in your celebration to honor God. Ask your friends to pray a blessing over you or think of all the good gifts from God in your last year of life and acknowledge them with your friends. A celebration is not truly a celebration if we do not invite the one who asked us to celebrate into our joy filled gathering.
Lastly, be intentional about making room for celebrations. The dictionary describes the word ‘celebrate’ as a verb meaning to ‘observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities.’ One of the examples the dictionary gives is the Lord’s Supper. On the day of the very first communion meal, Jesus asked the disciples to ‘go and make preparations for [them] to eat the Passover‘ (Luke 22:8-9 & Matthew 26:17-20). Celebrating doesn’t ‘just happen’. Some of the best parties and celebrations are the ones where people have taken time to plan and prepare. Look at your upcoming calendar. Are there any possible celebrations on the horizon? I can help you pinpoint one right now! We are heading into the season of Advent and celebrating the birth of Jesus. What are some intentional ways that you can make room for and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ in this season?
CELEBRATING THROUGH ADVENT
“God of hope, I look to you with an open heart and yearning spirit. During this Advent Season, I will keep alert and awake, listening for your word and keeping to your precepts. My hope is in you.”
Matthew Kelly
For me, Advent has become a yearly tradition that is a sacred part of the celebration of Christmas. Every year when October rolls around I start to prepare for Advent. I choose the devotional that I will be doing to draw close to God during this special time.
I start thinking about what our tree should look like, what gluten free and refined sugar free Christmas baking recipes I can find to try out, I look for new Christmas albums being released throughout the fall to add to my playlist and I start updating the “Christmas presents list” notepad on my phone trying to think of ideas for family and friends. It’s all part of the celebration. The word ‘Advent’ is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means ‘coming’. When we observe ‘advent’ we are preparing for the ‘coming’ of Christ. And by ‘coming of Christ’ I am referring to both the first coming and the highly anticipated second coming! Traditionally, Advent has been both a preparation and a celebration of the remembrance and gratitude of the birth of Christ, and it has also been a preparation of hearts to the eventual second coming of Christ. Yes, it’s true that there is nothing about celebrating Advent in the Bible. But, as a practice that was first celebrated in the 6th century, it is somewhat of a tradition in the Christian church. And traditions usually becomes a tradition because they are valuable and worth repeating. The tradition of Advent keeps our mind fixed on the coming of Christ. And that ‘coming’, whether the first or the second, is worth our time, preparation and celebration.
This year, I am planning on being more intentional about celebrating the tradition of Advent to help prepare my heart to celebrate Jesus. Each day when I wake up I plan to light the Advent candle for that week and spend my time in devotion, listening for God. I will write out my list of traditional Christmas activities that I usually do and then I will plan to do them with joy and celebration with Jesus. And because we are also meant to celebrate together – I am inviting you to do this with me. Each Sunday of Advent I am going to post and share my favorite Christmas traditions and how I celebrate and honor Jesus through that celebration in the midst of this wonderful Christmas Season. I am really excited for this journey! Will you accept this invitation to celebrate?
This Advent, Lord, come to the manger of my heart. Fill me with Your presence from the very start. As I prepare for the holidays and gifts to be given, remind me of the gift You gave when You sent Your Son from Heaven. The first Christmas gift, it was the greatest gift ever. You came as a baby born in a manger. Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree, waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me. Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus’ birth, when He left the riches of Heaven and wrapped Himself in rags of earth. Immanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night. And angels announced, ‘Into your darkness, God brings His Light.’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ they said, to shepherds in the field. Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield. Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to Your call. Setting distractions and worries aside, to You I surrender them all. Surround me with Your presence, Lord, I long to hear Your voice. Clear my mind of countless concerns and all the holiday noise. Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush. In the midst of parties and planning, I want to feel Your hush. This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart. Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part. Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day. Keep me close to You, Lord. It’s in Your wonderful Name I pray.
Renee Swope “The Manger of My Heart”
Written by: Justine Joy
Refined Joy 
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