Advent: A Rookie Anglican Guide

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(Note: Anglican Compass has published a book about Advent! Check out The Liturgical Home: Advent, by Ashley Wallace!)


What is Advent?

Advent is the first season of the Church year. It lasts for four weeks leading up to Christmas Day on December 25:

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(To learn more about what the Church year is and how itโ€™s different than the civil calendar, click here.)

Why is it called โ€œAdventโ€?

โ€œAdventโ€ comes from the Latin adventus, meaning โ€œcoming or arrival.โ€

Used by the Church, the word refers to:

  1. The โ€œarrivalโ€ of Jesus Christ when he was born on the original Christmas Day
  2. The upcoming โ€œarrivalโ€ of Jesus Christ when, as Christians believe, he will return to judge the living and the dead.

So, the season of Advent is a season of preparation and waiting:

  1. first for Christโ€™s second coming to judge the living and the dead (2 Pet 3:11-14; 1 John 3:2-3), but also
  2. to celebrate Christโ€™s first arrival at Christmas.

Just as the Israelites awaited a Messiah to fulfill Godโ€™s promises from Genesis 3:15 to Jeremiah 31:31-34 and beyond, so Christians await the return of Jesus the Messiah to make all things new (Revelation 21).

A helpful video about Advent, from “BustedHalo.”

Common Practices

Check out our Advent book, The Liturgical Home: Advent, by Ashley Wallace, for more ideas about how to observe Advent with friends and family!


Whatโ€™s the difference between Advent music and Christmas music?

Perhaps the classic piece of Advent music is โ€œO Come, O Come, Emmanuel,โ€ because it reflects Adventโ€™s emphasis on waiting and expectation.

Christmas music, on the other hand, emphasizes the joyful celebration of Christโ€™s arrival at the Incarnation. โ€œJoy to the Worldโ€ comes to mind, but if you read the lyrics to that song closely, youโ€™ll notice that theyโ€™re actually about the second coming of Jesus, not his birth.

So, maybe think of โ€œHark, the Herald Angels Singโ€ as a paradigmatic Christmas song.

Songs for Advent

Here are some of the better-known songs from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worshipโ€™s helpful list of Songs for Advent:

  • Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus – Charles Wesley
  • Hark, the Glad Sound! The Savior Comes – Philip Doddridge
  • Imagine – Keith and Kristyn Getty
  • Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence – Gerard Moultrie
  • Love Divine, All Loves Excelling – Charles Wesley
  • My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout – Rory Cooney
  • O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – ancient hymn
  • Of the Father’s Love Begotten – Aurelius Clemens Prudentius
  • Savior of the Nations, Come – Ambrose, 4th century; Martin Luther
  • Soon and Very Soon – Andraรฉ Crouch

(Check out the Calvin Institute of Christian Worshipโ€™s list of Songs for Christmas as well.)

I also highly recommend the following music.


Advent Collects and Collect Reflections

In the Anglican tradition, each week of the Church year has a special prayer, called a โ€œcollect,โ€ used during Sunday worship and then for the following week.

Here are the collects for Advent. If you click on the titles, it will take you to the Anglican Pastor Collect Reflection for that weekโ€”a short blog post to help you reflect on the collect!

The First Sunday in Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Third Sunday of Advent

O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Advent; Annunciation

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and as we are sorely hindered by our sins from running the race that is set before us, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.


Other Advent posts at Anglican Compass

If youโ€™d like to learn more about Advent, check out the following posts right here:

(Click here to view all of our posts that have been tagged as “Advent.”)


Other resources

Read our Advent book, The Liturgical Home: Advent, by Ashley Wallace!

Check out the following external resources to learn more about Advent and how to celebrate it:


Did I leave anything out?

If thereโ€™s something I didnโ€™t mention that you think should be in this introduction/guide to Advent, please let me know in the comments below!

True North 2024

Each December, we ask our readers to give to our TRUE NORTH campaign. We invite you to join us as we point to Jesus through the riches of the Anglican tradition. This year, with the generous support of donors, every gift up to $12,000 will be matched. Give $100, and we will receive $200. Would you prayerfully consider a year-end gift or a monthly commitment?

Published on

November 23, 2020

Author

Joshua Steele

Josh Steele was the first Managing Editor of Anglican Compass. Learn more about him at joshuapsteele.com.

View more from Joshua Steele

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