Expectancy is the what the journey of Advent is all about. I mean, the wonder of Christmas is pretty spectacular, but what if I told you there’s more? There is greater wonder to behold, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, but it will require intentional discipline.
I have a friend, who plays the bass guitar with our worship team and every time we gather together to pray, he tells God how expectant he is. His heart leans toward the promise of God and his prayer is always about setting his heart in a humble position to see and receive and provision of God. It’s an intentional declaration of hope.
Advent isn’t simply about marking the days until Christmas, it is set of practices which remind us to respond to the promise of God. We do that by remembering what it was like before Christ—both literally and spiritually—looking ahead to what is still to come (promise), and practicing presence in the here and now (waiting). The practice of Advent is to ready your heart to see and hear; to behold the fullness of God.
There is a journey, a pilgrimage (if you will), that leads to the more of God. He has issued an invitation, for anyone who is willing to come, to enter in and know his love. This is not just about salvation, it’s about wholeness.
So, expectancy is where we start. Stir it up and let hope float up to the top. Listen, I know how hard that can be, but remind your soul hope can be a choice. Feelings are real, but they are not equipped to lead, so establish the way to go and walk on.
The wonder of the journey of Advent
As a little girl, my family and I practiced this tradition in all its forms, both secular and spiritual. The liturgical church we attended followed the litany of readings and lighting of candles, which always took me on the most amazing journey wonder and awe. I didn’t’ understand all of it in the days before I gave my heart to Jesus, but I could feel it.
Our church was old and ornate. We lived in a city, in northern Ontario, so the church wasn’t so small that you would feel lost, but it was small enough to still feel cozy. The pews were stained dark and the floor was hardwood, except for the center aisle, which was covered by a bright burgundy carpet running all the way up to the altar.
The stained-glass windows, held artist’s renditions of the prophets and the apostles, which made me feel comforted—like I was surrounded by the great saints of faith. And every time we gathered for service the words of these mighty men of God were read and proclaimed.
Christmas trees flanked the front of the church and the walls were clothed with banners, crafted by the hands of the skillful women in our church. Beside the grand pulpit was the advent wreath and underneath the lectern was a large Crèche.
We sat in the front, because that was the best way to see it all, but also it increased the chances of being chosen by the minister to light the candle of the week. And, I was captivated by the rich sounds of a congregation responding in turn through the spoken word and song accompanied by the pipe organ, which filled the atmosphere.
Preparing your heart is what makes you ready to see and hear truth when it is declared.
The Practices of Advent
At home, we had our own advent wreath, complete with candles and readings. And, I also remember a banner hanging on the kitchen wall, with candy tied on each day of the month. My brother and I took turns welcoming the day and savoring the candy. Ha! I doubt that would fly today, because it seems everyone needs to have their own candy. Anyway, there is something about marking the day and looking ahead that stirs up wonder and anticipation.
My husband and I were talking the other day—well, I guess I was talking and he was listening—about my memories and experiences of Advent as a child. We’ve been married for over 22 years, and for most of that we’ve worked at trying to blend all our family traditions, but I always wrestle with the missing elements of Advent in our church context.
It’s not that we don’t talk about Advent, because we do. We have the wreath and readings, but honestly, sometimes it feels like an addendum. Practices and disciplines take intentional effort, which is probably why we can so easily give up, but what if, this year, we don’t give up and opt out? What if we choose to take the journey of Advent to Christmas, pressing into anticipation and wonder. And not for all the Christmas hoopla, but for Jesus—the wonderful One.
The journey of Advent begins with hope
The LORD is very much aware of what is happening in our world. From the beginning of time he has invited every human heart into an intimate fellowship, because his desire (not need) has always been for oneness. All of his promises are about bringing us back into oneness. The journey of Advent begins with hope, which are anchored to these promises.
As we read through the Old Testament, it becomes exceedingly clear that there is nothing, as human begins, we can do to bring ourselves back in. Our hope is in Christ, who came to demonstrate love and grace. He was perfect—fully God, yet fully man—and he became sin so he could take it and bury it once and for all. Jesus is our hope, because through his redemptive work on the cross, God opened the way into his presence. He restored what was broken.
“We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold…” Hebrews 6:19 (The Passion Translation)
Hope holds to the promises. It believes earnestly and passionately that what God said will come to pass. It looks beyond the physical circumstances and plants itself in Faith. Faith believes that all things are possible, but when it partners with hope, it begins to believe for it. It’s slight shift, but it has big impact.
The journey of Advent remembers what was prophesied
Israel was a mess, struggling to measure up to her covenant with God. The Old Testament records generation after generation falling into unhealthy and ungodly practices, which took them further and further away from intimate fellowship.
The LORD spoke to his people through the Prophets (as was their agreement back a Sinai). He spoke good and he spoke hard, but the people failed to stay in covenant relationship. Idolatry was a big trap, which always led them into bondage. I don’t know about you, but I have to remind myself not to judge, because the truth of the matter is idolatry is still a huge trap for God’s people.
As we take this journey of Advent, we have to step into the story. We are grafted in through Christ, so we have to learn to identify with the history, because it is also our history. Sometimes there is a temptation to distance ourselves from Israel; don’t do that. Read the words of the prophets with eyes to see and ears to hear, because there is so much with which we can identify.
God allowed foreign nations to come against his people, using the circumstances of their pride and disobedience to discipline Israel. God always fought to bring her back to covenant relationship, but it was painful. Suffering has a way of clarifying our need good and fast.
The prophets declared the promises of God. Every word spoken was a declaration intending to lead the people into the promised land. So, when foreign nations enslaved the people, the prophets reminded them that God had not abandoned them. The process was going to be hard, but he had a sweet plan that was going to blow it all out of the water, but they were going to have practice hope.
Jesus
“The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise. All the way through the recordings of the prophets we find messianic prophecy. Each generation was told and reminded that God would raise up a savior—One who redeem and restore.
Hope remembers why Jesus was promised to begin with. The journey of Advent intentionally takes us back to the manger, but you can’t look at the manger without remembering the cross. Jesus entered this world just like you and I did; human flesh and bone, with all the same limitations, yet still fully divine.
His life demonstrated presence. The promise of, Emmanuel, God with us, was fulfilled when Christ was born. He became a man, demonstrating humility and grace as he imparted the power of God, by the Holy Spirit (John 1:32-34). The righteousness of Christ leads us back into covenant relationship with the Father. Jesus leads the way to oneness.
Stirring up expectancy
The journey of Advent stirs up expectancy. There is certainly a great deal of contemplation along the way, but all that remembering and pondering creates exploding hope for the fullness of God. This journey reminds us to quit going through the motions; to be present. It’s about alignment.
God invites us—all of us—to come close and the way in is through Jesus.
The way in…
Do you ever think about that? The fact that we can enter in—that’s a miracle. Sometimes that’s easy to forget, but the miracle of the cross is open access through Christ.
There is more than what you can see before you today. There is more, but the journey into the more requires stirring up hope—expectant hope—and anchoring it to faith. God isn’t finished revealing himself; he’s looking for eyes to see and ears to hear.
Ready your heart, Friend, and expect the fullness of his love and grace as you press into the story. The journey of Advent will take you into deep places, through hard places, and up to the high places.
“And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” Romans 5:5
Practicing Hope
So, a couple of thoughts on practicing hope.
- Hope is not a feeling; it’s a choice
Hope is about belief and trust. Hopelessness is rooted in doubt and fear. Learn to recognize the difference. Don’t miss the more because you are afraid—and understand that fear doesn’t disqualify hope. Fear may well be present, but you can still choose hope.
- Hope remembers the promises of God
Spend time reading and praying through the promises of God. Start with the book of Psalms. If you read and pray through five a day you’ll be through the entire book in a month. This is a great way to rehearse the promises of God.
- Hope is anchored to Jesus
Just keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Read what the prophets had to say about Christ and then read the gospels. Since he is the fulfillment of God’s Promise it only stands to reason that by following his leadership you will experience more of the LORD. Lean in and fix your eyes on the King of kings and Lord of lords!