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Commentary
GEN-X RISING: Advent message needed amid 21st-century fears Andrew C. Thompson, Nov 25, 2008
Andrew C. Thompson
By Andrew C. Thompson UMR Columnist
Here on the cusp of the season of Advent, we need the good news of Jesus Christ’s coming into the world, now as much as ever.
The past year has seen tremendous economic upheaval, as millions have lost their homes and huge corporations have gone belly-up. Financial markets are in disarray. With the price of gas yo-yoing wildly and signs of darker economic days to come, many people are fearful about what lies ahead of us. Some are unsure whether their homes or their retirement accounts will have any real value in the future.
Besides the economic problems both at home and abroad, we also seem to live in a world where violence is becoming more common instead of less so. Terrorism, war and genocide—these were supposed to be the problems of the 20th century, not the 21st.
Of course, we also fall easily into the trap of thinking that the economy and the politics of nation-states are the real driving forces in history. That’s the message we learn in school, and it is the message that the media gives us daily.
But it is at just this season of the year that God speaks a word of hope in the midst of the darkness.
As Advent begins, we remember the ancient promise told through the prophet Isaiah, which says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, KJV).
The prophecies of the Old Testament are a reminder to us that Jesus did not burst onto the scene in Bethlehem unannounced. The Messiah was anticipated, and when we start preparing for Christmas weeks ahead of time with our own Advent celebrations, we share in that sense of anticipation.
That word ‘advent’ means ‘approach’ or ‘arrival,’ and it refers to the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. The Advent season is an old tradition in the Christian church. The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship notes that Advent has its roots in Gaul (modern-day France) in the fifth century A.D.—about the time of the fall of the Roman Empire.
The purpose of Advent is to celebrate Christ’s coming in two ways, both remembering him as the child born to Mary and anticipating his triumphal return in the future. The Dictionary explains, “Advent has come to mark preparation for the coming of Christ in a double manner, first in his incarnation as the babe of Bethlehem, which is obvious, and in his second coming at the end of time, which is perhaps less so” (p.2).
Both meanings are important, because they point us to the full scope of God’s salvation through Jesus.
Of course, the world is not so much interested in the religious significance of the season as it is in the economic opportunity it represents. The Christmas shopping season seems to start earlier and earlier each year, as retailers cash in on the holiday spirit by decorating their stores in red and green long before we’ve even thought about putting the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven.
We can’t shop our way out of despair, though, and the promise of the babe of Bethlehem offers us something that no Day-After-Thanksgiving Sale can touch.
The mystery of the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is the supreme word of good news in a world beset by war, famine, disease and economic turmoil. In a time in history when so much of the news seems to be bad rather than good, God’s promise to us needs to be heard afresh.
It is the happy task of the church to proclaim that good news—not just on Christmas day, but in the whole season of Advent. As we read the old Scripture passages again and light our wreaths in worship each Sunday, we tell the world, “Wait. There is something even more powerful than the darkness besetting this world. And he is coming.”
Andrew C. Thompson
