Advent: Liturgy and Theology

The Church Year begins with the season of Advent, the penitential season before Christmas.

Advent is loan-word from Latin. It means ‘coming.’ We celebrate three advents: the past Advent, present Advent, and future Advent of our Lord Jesus. We look back in joyful remembrance to Christ’s past Advent at Christmas, when the Word became flesh to dwell among us and bring us life and salvation through the shedding of his holy precious blood. We give thanks for our Lord’s present Advent among us in Word and Sacrament whereby, through these Means of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ sustains us in faith until the Last Day, his future Advent in glory. We look forward to Christ’s future Advent in hope.

The Season of Advent is one of the two penitential seasons of the Church year (penitential means ‘of repentance’). Along with Lent, the color for Advent is violet: an ancient color denoting royalty. The royal color is appropriate to celebrate the coming of our King. It is also a color the Church has historically associated with mourning and repentance.

Because of the solemn nature of penitential seasons, the GLORIA IN EXCELSIS, that ancient, liturgical hymn of praise, is not sung. We will sing it anew with the angels on Christmas Eve, who once sang the GLORIA IN EXCELSIS to the Bethlehem shepherds, announcing Jesus’ birth.

It is the custom of our congregation to use Divine Service Setting IV during Advent and Lent. Setting IV is appropriate to the seasons of Advent and Lent because much of the liturgy in this Setting is spoken rather than sung. Speaking rather than singing highlights the penitential nature of the season, for the mood of the services is much more ‘restrained’ than in common time.

Advent is a season of repentance. The Church anticipates the coming of her Lord, not only in the liturgy with his Word and Holy Sacraments, but in glory for the final Judgment of the living and the dead at the end of days. The Church watches and waits upon her coming Lord with serious and sober expectation, especially knowing that this present world is passing away—but also with hope and joy, knowing the coming of our Savior means our salvation.