By Rev. Michael Schotte
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Preston, Kansas
stpaulpreston.org

Here it comes! Christmas is right around the corner! Are you gearing up, only to be let down? Is it nothing more than days, maybe weeks, of excitement only to have the day come and then to face the depression of its passing? The lights go up now, even the tree.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so much so that it seems like it’s already here. But then the day comes and goes, and the joy completely vanishes with the boxing up of the decorations and the stowing away or the disposal of the tree.

It’s time to observe Advent. It’s time to put Christmas in its place on the calendar and prepare for it—seriously prepare—with the season of Advent. Advent reminds us of why Christmas is so important. Advent is the time for reflection upon why the time of Christmas is needed. Advent is a season where the call is loud and clear for us to repent of our sin and see our need for the Savior. Don’t skip Advent.

Maybe it’s the four candles of an Advent wreath to remind us of the approximately four weeks prior to Christmas. Maybe it’s an appropriate, Bible-themed Advent calendar that provides for us a Bible verse each day. The verse might show us how our sin has caused us to fall short of God’s glory. Or the verse could show us the great love of God in sending his Son Jesus into the world in human flesh and blood so that He could bear the burden of the condemnation for our sin, suffer the pain of a cross, and die the death that our sin has deserved for us, even though He himself was without any sin of His own.

Advent means coming. It’s a season of anticipation of what is to come. Yes, we joyfully anticipate His coming at His birth at Christmas. At the same time, John the Baptist helps us to prepare for His coming rightly. His is the voice of one calling in the wilderness, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). John was calling upon those who would hear him, even us today, to prepare for the coming of Jesus Who, by His grace in forgiving our sin, brings us into the kingdom. When John the Baptist spoke those words, he and Jesus were both grown men. Jesus was publicly beginning His work in this world as the Messiah, the Savior, the eternal Son of God. This work of Jesus would include His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His ascension to the Father’s right hand where even now He is present everywhere, promising His gifts to all who believe in Him. Still, the call of John the Baptist to prepare for the coming of Jesus is as relevant, urgent, and vital for us now as it has ever been.

We’re already seeing the lights. Even now we’re hearing the music. We’ve dug out the decorations, and maybe trimmed the tree. I sure like looking forward to Christmas too. But don’t skip Advent. Confess your sins. See and speak of your need for Jesus the Savior. Trust that Christmas soon to come is the celebration of the time Jesus came into this world as your Savior—true God in human flesh, fully God and fully man—for your salvation. And then remember that Christmas too is a season; it’s not over when December 25 has passed. There are twelve days to enjoy it—December 25th through January 5th. When Christ Jesus is at the heart of it, the peace that He brings is for the year around.

Find a church or your choice and join in worship this season of Advent, the coming season of Christmas, and all through the year.