What Are Ways We Can Celebrate Advent?
First, we can attend worship services at church where we light the Advent wreath and sing songs about Christ. Music is a powerful way to reflect on Christ’s time among us and His promise to return. While song songs this time of year are Christmas focused, others are solidly Advent-themed, reflecting the longing we have for Christ in the world today. For instance, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a popular and holy Advent song about the coming of Christ.
Second, we can engage in Advent activities in our own homes. Some Christians engage in prayer, fasting, or reflective periods of repentance. Others craft their own Advent wreaths with candles, or put up a nativity scene to reflect on the first coming of Christ into the world as a tiny baby. Many read devotionals throughout Advent, preparing their hearts and minds.
Third, we can craft a Jesse Tree, which helps us prepare for Advent by journeying through Jesus’s family tree. With the Jesse Tree, we decorate a tree to see how God prepared for Jesus to be born through many generations. Each day of Advent, we can read a Bible story about someone on His family tree and hang an ornament symbolizing their story. The origins of the Jesse Tree are rooted in Isaiah 11:1, which prophesies, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
In the New Testament, the lineage of Jesus is traced by two of the Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, noting that he comes from the line of Jesse, father of King David and descendant of the tribe of Judah from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Romans 15:8–13, the apostle Paul specifically acknowledges Jesus as this root of Jesse in whom “the Gentiles will hope.”
What Are Some Modern Ways to Mark Advent?
One popular new tradition is the Advent photo-a-day challenge, where people are invited to reflect on the 28 days before Christmas with a visual reflection of some of the elements of Advent. Some Advent challenges offer words for each day to prompt a photo, such as “righteousness,” “seek,” “offering,” or “gladness.” Photos can be serious or silly and are often posted on social media to encourage community reflection of the holy season.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Robert Thiemann
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