Recovering the Advent Calendar
Posted 12/01/2023 by The Rev. Brandon Ashcraft
“A longer Advent helps some Christians prepare for more than Christmas.” So reads the headline of a recent NPR article featuring the Rev. Cameron Partridge, an Episcopal priest who extended his community’s observance of Advent from four to seven weeks this year. And Rev. Partridge is not alone. There is an entire movement called “The Advent Project,” whose sole objective is to extend Advent to its historical length of 40 days (Yes, centuries ago, Advent and Lent were both 40 days!).
The movement is driven by a desire to re-frame Advent as more than a countdown to Christmas. More than candles and chocolate calendars. The goal is to unearth Advent’s theological richness and to recover its focus on the great Christian hope: the full manifestation of the Reign of God that will be realized at the second coming of Jesus Christ. If we look to Advent’s historical roots, it was less about anticipating Christ’s first coming in the manger, and more about anticipating his second coming in glory. And if you’ve been paying attention, you will have noticed that our readings for the last three weeks of the Church Year already focus us on this theme, so starting Advent a few weeks earlier would be an elegant solution for reclaiming Advent’s original focus.
Our commercial culture pushes us to begin celebrating Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, so keeping an Advent of any length is already a difficult undertaking. What do we have to gain from making Advent longer and shifting its focus to the end times? With wars raging in the Holy Land and Ukraine, never-ending political turmoil in our own country, immigration crises, and natural disasters raging all around us, there’s no denying that the world is not as it should be. A season that roots us in God’s dream of restored creation and Christ’s reign of peace and prosperity would be a gift of tremendous pastoral value. As the Rev. Dr. William Petersen, founder of the Advent Project has written, “The call is for the Church to reclaim for the sake of its own life and mission Advent’s focus on the reign of God and, in so doing, to hone once again the counter-cultural edge of the Gospel at the very beginning of the liturgical year.”
This year, more than ever, we must be intentional about keeping Advent, because it is exceptionally short - only 22 days. Christmas falls on a Monday this year, which means the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve are both on Sunday, December 24th. At St. Paul’s, we will have one, combined 10 a.m. service for 4 Advent that morning and yes, this means to keep 4 Advent and Christmas Eve, one must attend church twice in one day! But there is much to be gained from observing both celebrations. The perennial star of 4 Advent is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it would be a pity to miss the opportunity to dwell with the Mother of our Lord for just a moment before Christmas arrives. On 4 Advent, we join our voice with Mary’s in her great song, the Magnificat, and together we dream of the world as God envisions it, and as it will one day be. Do not allow the quirk of this year’s calendar to deprive you of this Advent gift!
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