For three years now, our church has created an Advent Blog each December. Articles and reflections have been submitted through those years by members and friends of our congregation, on a variety of topics tied to the Advent season. You are most welcome to join us in this annual pilgrimage toward Christmas.
Below is a piece I submitted earlier this week.
[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jason Bandura works with the Glen Elm Church of Christ. Married to Shannon, he is Dad to three lovely daughters. He lives on the Canadian prairies and writes occasionally HERE.]
The season of Advent is built around the experience of waiting.
One frequent connection is to the waiting of pregnancy, often observed graphically in Mary’s most literal waiting for the birth of Jesus. Metaphorically, Scripture feeds into this theme with its declaration that the whole of creation is groaning, as if in the birthing process (Romans 8:22).
Regarding the Advent theme of Christian hope, Peter uses similar imagery to vividly drive home its shocking nature:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)