Jeff Adams

I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are focused on the many things for which we can be eternally thankful.  For many people Thanksgiving is the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season.

You probably have heard Christmas called Advent, taken from the Latin adventus meaning coming or arrival. Sometimes Bible teachers speak of the first and second comings of the Christ as the first or second advent.

The seasonal tradition called Advent has been observed in virtually every branch of Christianity since the early centuries. In most Western churches, Advent Season consists of the four Sundays before Christmas in which the emphasis is placed on remembering the biblical significance of the Incarnation of Christ and the promise of his Second Coming.

There are many beautiful traditions surrounding the Christmas season that have not much if anything to do with the biblical significance of Christ’s birth.  Traditions are not bad in themselves, as long as they do not distract from the significance of the season.The celebration of Advent is designed to be a reminder of the theological significance of Jesus Christ’s birth, despite the fact that historical evidence for a December birth of Jesus is slim to say the least.

Rather than simply decry the materialism that often engulfs Christmas, we are going to reintroduce the tradition of Advent season to remember the centrality to our faith of Christ’s Incarnation and the promise of his coming again. At the same time we are going to have some fun, borrowing from the famous Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street and call these next four Sundays Miracle on 55th Street.

Fittingly, tomorrow is also what we call a Fabulous Fifth Sunday, a KCBT tradition to set aside fifth Sundays for baptisms and the Lord’s Supper to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his promise to return. I’m looking forward to it – the next four week AND Christ’s return.