Inhabiting the Christian Year: Advent
This is part 2 of a series looking at the Western Christian year (liturgical calendar). For other posts in the series, click a number: 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 . (Updated 11/2021) The Western Christian worship year begins with Advent---a season spanning the four Sundays prior to Christmas (in 2021 the first Sunday of Advent is November 28). Robert E. Webber, writing about the meaning of Advent in Ancient Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year , shares this comment: Advent is the time when God breaks in on us with new surprises and touches us with a renewing and restoring power. In Christian-year worship and spirituality we call upon God for a new breaking in, a fresh outpouring of his Spirit. (p. 38) The Advent Season is a powerful and important reminder that God is not remote, aloof or uninvolved. It tells us that God has come, is coming and will come again ("advent" means "coming"). This truth helps offset a message that is pr