Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the Christian calendar or what’s sometimes called the liturgical year. I didn’t always have an appreciation for the liturgical calendar. Advent was my first introduction. Easter was my second. And yes we call it Easter not “Resurrection Sunday” because Easter is not just one day of the year, it’s a whole season that focuses on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Advent is also a season but I’m not sure we think of it correctly. Most Christians, if they think of Advent at all think of it as a kind of liturgical play acting. “Oh, let’s pretend that Jesus hasn’t been born yet so we can be really happy when he does arrive.”

But, Advent is not actually about Christmas, the incarnation is about Christmas or you could say, Christmas is about the incarnation. Advent is really about preparation for Christ’s return—His next Coming.