Advent

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year and begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.  Advent is a season of hope, anticipation and preparation.

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the season is the expectation of the birth of Jesus the Christ, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God.  

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in final victory over sin and death. 

During Advent the church celebrates God’s entering into history through the Incarnation, and anticipates a future history for which "all creation is groaning, awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."