A Liturgical Resource: Advent

Notes from Ordering Our Days in His Peace:  An Introduction to the Christian Church Year
by H. R. Curtis
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It is universally accepted amongst Christians that God created the universe, and that the universe he created includes time.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years... --- Genesis 1:14

Time helps us make sense of our lives:  minutes and hours order our days, weeks and months order our years, and years mark the passage of a lifetime.  We are, in fact, born into a time-based existence, born one day and living until we die.

Time helps us make sense of God's story, too.  God created a home for humanity, set them on a course of history and broke into that history in the person of Jesus Christ, that part of the Godhead who will return one day to complete the story at the end of time.  Relating this story, the story of Christ and what He did for humanity, is the purpose of the Church.  Telling and re-telling the story of salvation in a time-based manner, helps it make better sense.  A liturgical calendar keeps the story on track for us chronologically.

The Church year has three major seasons:  Christmas, Easter, and the Time of the Church (also known as Ordinary Time).  Each section of the year focuses on a single part of the salvation story.  Christmas shares with us the story of how God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to be born and to live our humanity (perfectly, of course).  Christmas ends with the onset of Easter, the season that shares the story of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross and rising again from the dead.  The Time of the Church shares the tale of the Holy Spirit and His work among us in and through Word and Sacrament.  The Church employs various liturgical tools to help in the telling of this story of God and His love for us.

THE TIME OF CHRISTMAS --- Advent

This season, the first of the liturgical year, begins with Advent, a Latin term that means "coming into."  Jesus, the hope of humanity, is coming into the world to save us from the power of sin and death.  During this part of the Church year, we prepare to receive our future Savior.  That preparation includes repentance for our sins, the sins that make the birth of Christ necessary.

Liturgical colors during Advent:  violet

The color of repentance and the color of royalty for our coming King.

Liturgical music during Advent:  omit the "Gloria in Excelsis"

Normally, during our worship service, we sing these words:

Glory be to God on high;  and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee,
   we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for thy great glory.
O Lord God, heavenly king, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
   that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the sin of the world, receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
For thou only are holy;  thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost,
   art most high in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

Because this is the song that Scripture tells us the angels sang at Jesus' birth and because we are waiting for Christ to be born, we withhold this song of praise until Christmas morning.

Special observances or tools during Advent:  the Advent wreath

Advent wreaths have four candles, one for each week in the season leading up to Christmas.  Each Sunday, a candle is lighted, one being added each week, increasing the anticipation of the arrival of our King.  We also look forward to the day when Christ will come again.

Special events during Advent:  midweek worship services