Advent is not like a Civil War reenactment

Once again the season of Advent is upon us and with it come a whirlwind of emotions.  I love the season of Advent.  And I especially love how Advent is not like a Civil War reenactment.

There is great power in remembrance.  One of God's most frequent commands throughout scripture is to remember, and we see this in various expressions from piles of stones to Passover dinners.  Even beyond the Lord's direction we understand the power of recall and contemplation.

Advent is a wondrous time of remembering, to take time and be still, and think about the Lord's coming to Earth.  We contemplate the truth of how before Jesus's arrival we all were a people in darkness, but with His coming "the people walking in darkness have seen a great light" (Isa 9:2).  We remember the miracle of Emmanuel, "God with us"; the impossible truth that despite our rebellion and rejection of God He came back for us.  We are not alone.  It is powerful to remind ourselves of this truth.

But the similarities between Advent and a Civil War reenactment end here.  A reenactment has the power to help us remember, to visualize and experience the past, but the events are forever locked in the past.  No matter of contemplation and recollection will ever cause change.

Advent is a season of hope not only in events of the past but also events of the future.  As the world waited in darkness for Jesus's first advent, we now quietly await Jesus's second advent.  We can relate to lyrics such as "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear" because this too is our story.  Our lives are in exile upon this rock.  Earth is not my home.

We do not reenact or remember the events of two thousand years ago only to recreate the memories or experiences of Christ's advent; we are not merely trying to recapture every year the wonder of events past.  We also contemplate Christ's first coming to give us hope and help prepare us for His second.  Our lives should look different in light of our hope of Advent.  Emmanuel not only came back to save us, but is coming back to bring us home.  The conclusion of Christ's Second Advent is our return to Paradise and God's presence; the restoration of everything we lost at the Fall.  Our hope is in going home.

Are we looking to the future this Advent?  May we contemplate Jesus's first advent as a reminder of the hope we have in His second.