Romans 13:11, Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
On this day of Advent, we are one more year, one more day, one more hour closer to Jesus’ Second Advent. We celebrate His First Advent today as we begin the new Church year, but this celebration—His Advent—is not restricted to a single season. All the seasons of the Church year follow Advent; Advent is the cornerstone of the Church year.
At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ first coming—God the Son advented in human flesh as a baby; during Epiphany we celebrate Jesus’ advent to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi; during Lent we advent to Christ as the Mediator between us and God to forgive us our sins; during Holy Week we anticipate Christ’s advent on the cross, Good Friday when He advented on the cross upon which He bore our sins and died for you and me, and Easter when He advented from the grave and won victory over death for you and me; and Pentecost when, after Jesus’ advent to the Father, the Holy Spirit advented upon the apostles and then all Christians who are baptised in the Holy Trinity, the Church proclaiming to the entire world throughout all ages of Jesus’ Second Advent to come.
Thus, Jesus’ First Advent and Second Advent encapsulate all activities of the Church. Every hour, day, month, and year, we move closer to Jesus’ Second Advent. By faith, He has woken us from our sleep of death, and each day our salvation draws nearer as His Second Advent draws nearer. Thus, let us live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is adventing again tomorrow. Amen.
The Lutheran Column 