What's an Advent???

At Good Shepherd we don't pay very close attention to the "Christian Year." We celebrate Christmas and Easter (as do many of our 2 times per year faithful people we lovingly call "Chreasters.") But we don't do much with the other seasons of the the Christian calendar. Years ago the Church saw fit to break up the year in such a way as to help people live out the faith in a year long journey, year after year. Here's how it works:

Advent: The four Sundays leading up to Christmas day. I think we call this the shopping season in the rest of the year.
Christmas: Duh... you know that one right? The day we celebrate the birth of Christ.
Christmastide: I guess they just couldn't come up with what you call that one, or sometimes two, Sundays that come between Christ's birthday and the day of Epiphany.
Epiphany: The Sunday that falls 8 or more days after Christmas. On this day we celebrate the day that Jesus was presented at the Temple (a Jewish tradition.) Epiphany means that Jesus was recognized, at least by some, as the Christ on that day. See Luke 2:21-40
Ordinary Time: There's a creative name. This is the dead space between Epiphany and Lent. Traditional churches would be following a list of scriptures during this time that intentionally lead people through the life of Jesus up to the time when Jesus sets "his face for Jerusalem." Luke 9:51.
Lent: During the season of Lent we focus on the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf. That's why people will often say the are "giving up something for Lent." Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is 40 days before Easter... not counting Sundays.
Easter: This is the day that we celebrate the fact that Christ rose from the dead after being crucified on Good Friday. (Good for us, not so much for Jesus on that particular day.) Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox, March 21. Don't look at me that way, I didn't make this up, it's been around since 325 A.D.
Eastertide: A seven week season following Easter and leading up to Pentecost.
Pentecost: Actually a Jewish holiday that Christians co-opted as the day that God sent the Holy Spirit into the Christ followers and thus establishing them as the ongoing witness of Christ in the world (we tend to call that group "The Church.) The Pentecost season (sometimes also called "Ordinary" again) lasts all the way up to the Sunday before Advent comes around again. (So basically May through November). It is a time to reflect on the ongoing mission and ministry of the church. It ends with Christ the King Sunday, which you may remember Kevin preaching about this past week. You can listen to his sermon here.

Which brings us back to Advent. The word means "coming" or "arrival." Ask any child what holiday is coming up and they can tell you. It's Christmas. They're excited and dieing of the expectation. They know that the day is coming soon.

You know it too. You know that the day we celebrate the birth of Christ is coming soon. Are you looking forward to allowing Christ to be reborn in your life this year? It comes around every year, what are you doing to prepare your life for His birth?

God bless your Advent