The Season of Advent: Hope, Arrival, and Anticipation

The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical year, a time of beautiful anticipation and profound reflection. The word “Advent” itself comes from the Latin verb advenire, meaning ‘to come’ or ‘to arrive.’ This core meaning guides our observance as we engage in a dual form of looking:

• Looking Backward: We look back with thanksgiving and awe to the arrival of God on earth as a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. This is the historical, miraculous coming that gives us hope.
• Looking Forward: We look forward with joyful anticipation to Christ’s promised second coming into the world, when God’s kingdom will be fully and finally realized.

Beyond Nostalgia: A Deeper Arrival

Too often, the Christmas and Advent seasons become exercises in nostalgia—cozy memories filled with gingerbread houses, twinkling lights, and candy canes. While these traditions are joyful, the true depth of Advent calls us to look beyond mere sentimentality.

Advent and Christmas are also a profound recognition of our own need; they acknowledge the reality of our sinfulness. We realize, starkly, that we cannot save ourselves or heal the brokenness of the world by our own efforts. We need a Savior, which is precisely what God became when Jesus came to us in human form.

This season challenges us to embrace the spiritual truth that underlies the festivities: Our deepest hope is found in God’s willingness to step into our need.

The Will to Dream

This recognition of our need, coupled with the promise of Christ’s past and future arrival, compels us to cultivate a “will to dream.” This idea, beautifully captured as the theme for this year suggests that true Advent faith is not passive waiting, but an active hope that spurs imagination and change.

To have the will to dream is to:

• Imagine the world as God intends it to be: a world of justice, peace, and wholeness (the reality of Christ’s second coming).
• Act on that hope today, allowing the power of the first arrival to inspire us to work for the coming kingdom.
• Hold onto hope even in the face of current darkness, trusting that God has arrived and will arrive again.

Join us at Orchard Park as we prepare our hearts not just for a holiday, but for the profound reality of God’s arrival—past, present, and future.