EP 34: What is Advent and Why Does it Matter?

To celebrate the mark of the Advent season, Elle is sharing a four-part series called The Advent Collective. Each Wednesday during the month of December, we will be stepping back in time in order to relive the greatest story of all. This week, to kick things off, we’re talking about what Advent is and why it matters. Hit that play button and let's dive in! 

Welcome

Hello, Sister in Christ and welcome back to the Daughter of Delight podcast! Although it may have looked different for you and your family this year, I pray you were able to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. If you missed last week’s episode, I spoke on how to cultivate a heart of contentment. If you are struggling with the holidays this year, I hope you will take a listen to it and, in doing so, I pray God would use it to remind you of His great love and care for you, as well as the strength that is yours in Christ to overcome.

The Advent Collective

Today, we are kicking off a special series called the Advent Collective. This means that, for the remainder of December, we are going to step back in time together in order to relive and reflect on the coming of Christ. Advent is one of my most favorite times of the year, so I am really excited for this and I hope you are too. Now, before we dive into all the good stuff, I want to share a few things with you real quick!

Good News, Great Joy

First of all, I was part of a collaborative effort with several incredible writers and sisters in Christ who worked to put together a FREE Advent devotional for this special time of year. It’s called Good News, Great Joy. This project was organized and led by my dear sister and friend Chelsey, host of the Living with Less Podcast. If you haven’t heard of The Living With Less Podcast, let me be the first to say you’re welcome! Chelsey is a true delight and I know the conversations she hosts on her end of the mic will bless your life! Good News Great Joy was put together by 25 wonderful women of God who desire to point hearts to the truth, joy, hope, and promise that can only be found in Christ. So, in addition to Daughter of Delight’s Advent Collective Podcast Series, you are also going to have a special devotion to read each day of the Advent season. I am SO stinking excited to share this special project with you and pray the Lord would use it to help you soak in the true hope we have in Christ Jesus; to lead you into His loving embrace as you step back in time and relive the greatest story of all. To get your hands on it, click here! Enjoy!!

Review of the Week

I am so stoked to get this party started, but one last thing before we do. And I bet you know exactly what it is, Sis. That’s right...it’s the review of the week! This special review is from Tine and she says,“Elle is so amazing! I love following her on Instagram and this podcast is such an encouragement. Praying it will continue to reach and touch more lives.”Thank you, sweet Tine, for your sweet, sweet words. And especially for your prayers. I’m tickled to bits that you think I’m amazing, but anything good in me is only because of the One who lives and reigns in my heart. And that goes for all of us, can I get an amen? I am encouraged that the Lord is using this podcast to encourage you in your relationship with Him. Thanks be to God for that! Thank you for being a part of the Daughter of Delight community, sister. I am so glad and so very grateful you are! 

Happy Advent!

Sunday, November 29th officially marked the beginning of the new Christian year! Just as the New Year symbolizes a fresh start to the world, Advent beckons the Lord’s children to contemplate Christ anew in their lives. However, whereas the New Year has a very rushed approach to it, the Christian year is quite the opposite. It begins with two things: humbling ourselves and waiting. Each year, without fail, my heart is filled with childlike hope and yearning for something more. As someone who has witnessed the transforming power of God’s Spirit at work within me, I know now this desire for something more is rooted in the Someone who will come again and make things right one day. What a great hope we have in Jesus! To get us started with this year’s special Advent season, I thought it would be fun to talk about what Advent is and why it matters. I never truly understood the significance of Advent until just a few years ago. It is, without a doubt, one of my most favorite times of the year.

What is Advent?

Advent is thought to have been observed since the fourth century. Originally, however, it was a time when new converts to Christianity readied themselves for baptism. Sometime after the sixth century, the church designated the four Sundays prior to Christmas as Advent. The word, “advent,” is latin for coming. It refers to the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. In our case, Advent refers to the coming of Christ and it marks the first season of the Christian church year. It is a season of hope!Advent was not established as a four-week period of celebration for Christians, but rather a season of longing and anticipation of the One who is to come. As Christians who are on the other end of the coming of Christ--meaning, it’s already happened and we are awaiting His final return--we are invited to step back in time and relive the story of our Savior, all the way from his birth to His resurrection. Advent is an echo of Israel’s deep longing for the promised Messiah. It’s a time of fasting and repentance paired with great joy. Because, again, as Christians who are living after Christ’s resurrection, we get to step back in time and relive this story, knowing exactly how it plays out. It’s an incredibly unique experience and I hope you will choose to participate in it if you haven’t already gotten started! The great joy and anticipation we experience comes from the four comings, or “advents,” of Christ. They are the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, the presence of Christ in the hearts of believers, and the second coming.

Advent Today

Today, Advent is still a time of great joy and anticipation. This time of the year is filled with studying Scriptures and soaking in the truths of God’s Word that tell the comings of Christ; that feed the hope we have in Him! For many churches and families, Advent is also a time for lighting candles in an Advent wreath. The wreath serves as a visual aid to help God’s people better understand the meaning of this special season.

The Advent Wreath

The wreath has so much significance and it’s important we talk about it! As we all know, wreaths are circular in shape. The circle is without beginning or end, which symbolizes the divinity of Christ Jesus and His infinite love for His own. The evergreens that make up the wreath are a sign of life in the midst of the bitter and extreme weather conditions often associated with the winter season. The evergreens point to Christ’s redemptive gift of life, both now and forevermore. What a beautiful assurance this is. With it, we have the restoration of all of creation to look forward to upon Christ’s return. 

Today's Episode is Brought to You By Happily

This week’s episode is brought to you by Happily. Happily is a monthly subscription service that delivers themed dates directly to your doorstep. Michael and I love Happily because of how committed they are to helping couples make meaningful moments with one another. Plus, Michael is a homebody and I love date nights, so this is a great meet in the middle option for us and gives us something to look forward to each month!  This month, our date night was Italian themed. We enjoyed a special Italian music playlist while we made Pizza Napoletana, played Italian card games, and laughed the night away. It was an absolute blast and I highly recommend giving it a try!In fact, you can chem them out and get your first date box for HALF the normal price. Here’s how: Go to thehappilyco.com and enter code DAUGHTEROFDELIGHT for 50% off your first date box! You can also find the link in the show notes. In showing Happily some love, you are also showing Daughter of Delight some love, too. Your purchase allows me to continue making time to do what I love most, which is spreading the Good News of God’s Word to the ears of the women He has entrusted me to serve! Alright, let’s get back to our episode now!

The Advent Candles

Next up, we have the candles. This is my favorite part about Advent. As you can probably guess, the purpose of the candles is to invite us to reflect on the contrast between the light and the dark; between our separation of God and what Christ made possible for us as He took his last breath with us in mind on the cross. Before Christ, all that was in our future was death and darkness. Because of Christ, in Christ, death and darkness are not the end. Christ Jesus is our “great light”, dear sister. There are different colored candles that represent different things during Advent. Rose represents joy, white represents purity, and purple represents royalty. Purple is actually the staple color of advent, and for good reason, because it represents the coming of the King. As the candles grow in amount each week, so does our anticipation of the promised Messiah. The center candle is always white and represents the purity of Christ Jesus. 

The Meaning of Each Candle

The five Advent candles in the wreath are lit consecutively- one per each week of Advent. Let’s talk about the symbolism of each one. 

• First up, we have the “Prophet’s Candle.” This candle symbolizes hope. This candle recognizes the prophets of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, who waited in hope for the Messiah’s arrival.
• The second candle is called “Bethlehem’s Candle” and it represents faith. In Micah 5:2, Micah foretells that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
• The third candle is called “Shepherd’s Candle” and it symbolizes joy. The shepherds were joyful when the angels announced that Jesus came for unimportant people like them, too. 
• The fourth candle is called the “Angel’s Candle” and it represents the peace Christ Jesus came to give.
• The fifth and final candle is called “Christ’s Candle” and it represents light and purity. This candle is placed in the middle of the wreath or candle holder and is lit on Christmas Day.

In John 8:12, Jesus announced himself as the completion of Isaiah’s promise of "a great light.” He said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (NIV). The full blaze of light in the Advent wreath on Christmas represents the fulfillment of this promise. How beautifully sweet and intimate is that?

5 Ways to Celebrate the Advent Season

For the rest of our time together today, I want to share 5 special ways to celebrate the Advent season; to help you focus on Jesus in the midst of all the holiday chaos. As cheesy as it may sound, He truly is the Reason for the season. Sis, I hope you will choose to draw near this Advent season. 

1. Download the FREE Good News, Great Joy devotional myself and 24 other wonderful women of God put together just for you! REPEATED The key to enjoying the Advent season is prioritizing its place in your life. Committing to show up each day to read what this devotional has to offer will help point your heart to the truth, joy, hope, and promise that can only be found in Christ. To download it, click here!
2. Check out this Advent 2020 Spotify playlist. Can you tell Advent is my favorite time of year? In fact, I want to challenge you to commit to only listening to Christ-centered music this sacred Advent season. Be as intentional as you possibly can and God will do more than you can even imagine in your heart, mind and soul. Check out the link in today’s show notes to download the playlist.  
3. Attend Advent services at your church. Whether or in person, don’t miss out on celebrating this incredibly sacred season with your church family. Rejoice in the hope we have in Christ Jesus, together! 
4. Create or purchase your own Advent wreath and candles. Place one candle on the wreath each week as you grow in anticipation of the coming Savior.  
5. If you have children, purchase a child-friendly nativity set and move the characters and animals closer to the scene of where Jesus was born. This is yet another way to build excitement for the coming of sweet baby Jesus!

And there you have it, five special ways to enjoy this Advent season.

Draw Near

Sister, I am eager to be back with you next week for part two of The Advent Collective. In the meantime, prioritize the act of drawing near and soaking in everything this sacred season has to offer. May the peace of Christ be with you!

Thank You

I’m so glad you joined me for today’s episode. I hope you will choose to journey with me as we step back in time and relive the Advent story over the course of the next weeks. I would also love for you to invite a friend to participate in this series with you so that you can have someone to converse with about it along the way!If you enjoyed this episode, would you please do me a favor and rate and review it? I would be more grateful than you know! Finally, don’t forget to download your FREE Advent devotional and the Advent 2020 playlist. Talk with you next Wednesday, sister! 

More

Did you enjoy today's episode on Advent? Check out last week's episode, "How to Cultivate Contentment," here!Want more? Head to the Daily Delight Devotional blog to be encouraged!