For many, Advent is a countdown to Christmas; a calendar filled with treats to open each day of December until the biggest purchases can be opened on the 24th.
Some use Advent to prepare as an overture to the Nativity of Christ.
But traditionally in Western* Christianity Advent (beginning this year on November 30) is a time of anticipating much more. It is a countdown to the end of the world!
Advent literally means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ and it looks forward with hope to Christ’s promised return at the end of time.
In Revelation, its author John has a vision of human history from God’s heavenly perspective. He sees the unfolding of all time reaching its climax with the opening of a very different kind of advent calendar. Jesus - represented by a slaughtered lamb - breaks open the seals on a great scroll.
As each new chapter is opened, the beastly truth of earthly empires is revealed. The ancient evil motivating their military and economic abuses is exposed. The bloody cost in human terms is heaped up against them and environmental degradation is writ large at cosmic scale.
When we read disheartening news of the latest actions of global super powers, be it America, Russia, China or the European Union, we too may be reminded of the empires of old. We see echoes of ancient Egypt building markets on enslaved people, and ancient Babylon using military force to loot foreign resources and send opponents into exile. We may recognise hate, selfishness and prejudice crowing the motivations of our politicians - or in our honest moments, ourselves.
And yet, John writes, that the faithful community who clings to a vision of Christ’s rule of peace, justice and purity, endure. Even though some are persecuted and even martyred, they are ultimately victorious when God comes to live with them on a renewed Earth.
A new city - a seat for God’s good government - descends to Earth. It is land open for people of any nation to enter. It is a safe refuge because the beastly abusers, no matter what masks they wear, cannot enter it. Creation is restored with a paradise of rivers and trees and it is filled with light for the glory of God’s presence resides there among the people.
To have Advent hope is to trust how the story will end. To live Advent hope is to live like that now. It is an invitation to remove the malice from our own lives and care for the enslaved and invaded; to make a safe space for the dehumanised and refugee; to exercise care for all nature.
*In Eastern Christianity the Orthodox Church calendar is a little different, but does have an equivalent penitential season of 40 days of fasting accompanied by meditation on prophetic scripture.
Just a bit of trivia which the priest mentioned yesterday in church but apparently in Milan where the Ambrosian rite is celebrated, advent lasts 6 weeks beginning in mid November instead of 4. So even the Western practice is not uniform. I had no idea.
Thanks, I did not know this.
Apparently St. Augustine said the Ambrosian rite was "after the manner of the Orientals" so in that sense although a Western rite it is known for copying the Eastern form.
The fact that these are now a thing is funny:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diehard/s/g2TTvXkPoT
It's not christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Plaza.
I read recently (probably somewhere on reddit) that when they were filming that scene they told Alan Rickman they'd drop him on a count of three, then they dropped him on two and got his genuine look of shock.
When I was young in the evangelical church - I don’t think we did anything for advent. I’m so glad that somewhere along the way, it was picked up by many evangelical churches.
Now if we can get them to celebrate Christmas until Jan 6th…
This is such a cool way to think about advent. A season of hope. One of my favorite seasons.
Also strictly speaking Advent doesn't end on Nativity, it ends on Epiphany, the twelfth and last day of Christmas.
Just think, you could have had twelve more chocolates in your calendars.
The scroll form Revelation would likely have had the seals inside it. You break one seal and can unroll it a little, then to read more you have to break the next seal.
Maybe dumb question, but how do you put seals inside a scroll?
I tried to find an example on the Internet, but was unable to. I learned it in college. The way it was done was you'd roll up the scroll a little, and drip some wax, often in a line, to prevent it from being unrolled further. Roll more, drip more wax, repeat.
It's kind of hinted at in Revelation where as each seal is broken, a new thing happens. In the real world, if the seals were all on the outside, opening one at a time would reveal nothing. But, if you picture breaking a seal, unrolling the scroll a little, reading the first "page" then breaking the next seal, unrolling it more to read the next page, etc, you can get the gist of what I mean.
that makes a lot of sense!
Oh that's cool, I always had a hard time picturing this. I might experiment with this sometime, could be a cool youth group activity.
Yes, the implication in Revelation is that each time a seal is broken another section is unrolled. I did find this image, that is still impractical but tries to communicate that idea: https://www.thomasnoss.com/p/the-scroll-with-7-seals
The image is definitely not how it was done.
I feel like the Internet is getting less useful. When I last mentioned this, which was about 10 years ago, I didn't have any problem finding accurate pictures or descriptions. Now I can't find any of it.
This is awesome! Thanks.
We wanted to share how the Advent holiday took shape, emerging from early Christian belief and the desire to anchor hope in the darkest days of the year.
https://www.reddit.com/r/NuBerea/s/9HefhTVS8Z
Will we have a video policy?
Worthy are you, O Lord, to receive the scroll and break open its seals, for you were slain and with your blood you have ransomed for God those from every tribe and tongue and every people and nation and made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they shall reign on the earth.