The Four Sundays of Advent
The celebration of advent is ancient. A time of preparation for Jesus’ first and second comings. It’s easily understandable why the Church set aside a time to prepare hearts for these two world-changing advents. But why did they choose four Sundays in particular and what do they mean? Some have suggested the number four is to remind us of the forty days Jesus spent in the desert. However, like the exact moment in history when Christians first began celebrating Advent, some of the traditions (ways of celebrating) around Advent are also a bit unclear or mysterious. If you’re interested in knowing more about some of the fun Advent traditions, like recipes and family activities, I recommend picking up a copy of Ashley Wallace’s The Liturgical Home: Advent.
Fr. Chase wrote about some of the more ancient themes of the four Sundays of advent in his Compass article from Nov 25. Death and hope, judgment and faith, heaven and joy, and hell and peace. These are themes that the Church has dwelled on for centuries during Advent, and continues to do so today. However, in the last couple of centuries, most denominations have placed a focus on four very simple words – hope, peace, joy, and love. Each of these word themes has been assigned to one of the four Sundays of advent and to the four candles of the Advent wreath.
For this article, I would like to reflect on how these four word themes can be related to the four collects assigned to each of the Advent Sundays in our BCP.
Hope – 1st Sunday of Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Notice how our hope is found in both Jesus’ original coming to “visit us in great humility” and “in the last day, when he shall come again.” It is not a hope of wishful thinking, but a hope of certain faith in the trustworthy promises of our Lord. He will raise us up to life immortal!
Peace – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This second collect is one of my favorites for any time of the year. God’s living and written Word to us give us true peace. In the Scriptures, God speaks to us by the Spirit. These same scriptures all point to His redemptive work through Jesus that has given us the “blessed hope of everlasting last.” Reading, marking, learning, and inwardly digesting the Scripture is a means God uses to comfort us, strengthen our faith, and give us great peace because of what he has done for us through Jesus.
Joy – 3rd Sunday of Advent
O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
On John the Baptist Sunday, during his sermon, Fr. Chase painted a picture of a “cranky” John the Baptist preaching repentance. John may very well have been a cranky man. I would’ve been very cranky if I lived on a diet of locusts and had religious hypocrites pestering me on a regular basis. He certainly showed no fear of calling everyone to repent and prepare their hearts for Jesus and the Kingdom of God. “Repent” is a strong call and command to us all. However, our repentance leads to our salvation, which leads to our great joy! It’s this joy that we have been given in our repentance, forgiveness, and salvation that moves our hearts to share the message of repentance with the disobedient. We long for everyone to have the same great gifts of wisdom and joy that Jesus has given to us!
Love – 4th Sunday of Advent
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
It is our Lord’s “bountiful grace and mercy” that we long for and need. It is his bountiful grace and mercy that have given us true hope, peace, joy, and love. In this life we are indeed “sorely hindered by our sins.” Yet, knowing the one who loved us first and how deeply he loved us has moved our hearts to love Him and our neighbor.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. – 1 John 4:7-9
Fr. John Laffoon
Minister to Youth and Families