Advent means “coming.” The entire season is a season of longing, of repentance, and of waiting for Christ to come. There are three “comings” which Christians look forward to in the season of Advent. The first is Christ’s coming into the world on Christmas. This is the most obvious, and indeed, without Christ’s coming at Christmas, the next two comings would mean nothing. Christ’s second coming is His coming on the last day. Christ’s third coming is His coming into our hearts through the means of grace. Each Sunday then can be called a “little Advent,” much like how each Sunday can also rightly be called a “little Easter.” Every Sunday after we confess our sins, we look forward to absolution. We look forward to the preaching of Christ in the sermon. As we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Supper, we also wait for Christ’s coming in the bread and wine.
The four weeks of Advent confess these three comings and the truths that these three comings show. The weeks’s themes are “Christ the Coming King,” “Watchfulness,” “Forerunners of Christ,” and “Rejoice!”
The main icon of this season is the Advent wreath. This symbol reminds us of coming Light of the World, and is a great symbol to use for mid-week Advent services.
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