First Sunday of Advent
A Message of Hope from Rev. Dr. Tracy Ainsworth
What Is Advent Season?
Advent Season is a very special time of year that sometimes gets lost in the bright lights of the Christmas season it precedes. The first day of Advent is the first day of a new Liturgical (or church) calendar and begins a four week period of preparation in anticipation of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas.
The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is. There are many different traditions associated with the four weeks of Advent.
The Advent season invites us to step away from what can be a frenzied time of parties and shopping to consider how we commemorate the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest times in Christian faith. It is also a time to reflect on the triumphant return of Jesus at the second coming.
When Is Advent Season Celebrated?
Advent Season starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and leads up to the Nativity of Christ and the second coming of Christ. That means that Advent lasts for around a month in total.
In 2020, the Advent Season will start on Sunday, November 29th and run all the way to Thursday, December 24th.
(Taken from Our Little Roses Foreign Missionary Society Blog; December 2019)