The Liturgical Year & Advent

I read this book, The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister (a Bendedictine nun) this week and found it fascinating!

Growing up in a pentecostal evangelical setting liturgical practices were as foreign to me as confession or buddhism.  While the majority of liturgical activities are simply tools that can be heart-felt, providing an avenue for spiritual growth, they can also tempt the believer into duty, religiousness, and irrelevance.

However, because so much of the traditional liturgy is new to me, I find it fascinating... but I can certainly see how if I grew up in a church where it was the norm, I'd be sick of it and looking for ways to be real.

My primary reason for reading this book was to find out more about advent.  Here are some interesting things I read:

• "Advent" is latin for 'coming' or 'arrival'
• it started in Gaul (France) at the end of the 5th century
• the purpose of observing advent is to learn how to wait and to prepare the heart for the significance of the season
• advent celebrates all that Jesus means (past, present, and future)
• advent points to the second advent (or the return of Christ)
• advent focuses on the joy of Christ
• the first week of advent reminds of the call/need for a Messiah and the peace that He brings
• the second week of advent calls us with John the Baptist to repent and prepare
• the third week of advent calls us to rejoice that the Lord is near
• the fourth week of advent reminds us of Joseph's doubts, Mary's struggle, Elizabeth's faith
• the mature Christian sees the empty tomb when they look at the manger
• the western church emphasized the humanity of Jesus
• the eastern church emphasized the divinity of Jesus (responding to cultural pressures that Jesus was simply a man)
• different cultures and church traditions celebrate Christmas at different dates (due in part to different calendar systems)
• December 25th was chosen as Christmas in the West because that was the day that the Roman empire celebrated the sun (Roman god Sol Invictus [Invincible sun]).  In 313 in the Edict of Milan, Christians could finally worship freely.
• In 321, Emperor Aurelian declared the day an official "day of rest".

Churches have taken the advent concept and created their own traditions.  I think this is perfectly acceptable and even think that churches should change their own tradition/liturgy in an effort to come at the faith and scripture from new and more meaningful approaches.

While there are parts of Christmas that drive me nuts, there are other parts that I love.  Discovering more from history's response has definitely enhance my understanding of the season and has increased my faith...  I hope your faith is increased this season too.