Thanksgiving to Advent

     Happy Thanksgiving ERCC! I hope that as you all gather with your families eating lots of food (and watching lots of football), that we find true thankfulness in the blessings that God has given to us as a community. Thanksgiving is actually a great transition into the Christmas season of Advent, as it creates a beautiful bridge between gratitude for God's past faithfulness and the future anticipation of Christ's coming. Just as we're wrapping up our Thanksgiving celebrations, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. And while nowadays we might think of Advent as just the countdown to Christmas, there's actually something deeper going on here. The early church saw this as a special time of preparation. They weren't just getting ready for the Christmas festivities – they were preparing their hearts for both the celebration of Jesus's birth and the anticipation of His return.
     The first week of Advent centers on hope, grounded in Christ's words in Matthew 24 regarding His return: "Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." This watchful anticipation resonates with Isaiah's prophetic vision: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." These passages speak to our present circumstance, affirming that even in times of darkness, God's light remains undiminished. Isaiah's prophecy of a child who would be Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace points not only to the nativity but also to the fullness of Christ's future reign.
     The second week draws our attention to preparation for peace, embodied in John the Baptist's prophetic ministry. The words of Isaiah 40 resound with renewed urgency: "Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." This preparation yields the peace Christ promises in John 14: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you... Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Such peace transcends mere tranquility, emerging from hearts properly prepared for Christ's presence.
     The third week of Advent traditionally celebrates joy. This Sunday reflects the profound gladness found in anticipating Christ's arrival. The Annunciation narrative in Luke 1 presents Mary's exemplary response to divine initiative. Her agreement—her yes to God's plan—demonstrates a joy rooted not in circumstance but in faithful obedience to God’s purpose.
     The final week contemplates love, articulated perfectly in 1 John 4: "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world." The incarnation reveals the depth of God’s love—God choosing to enter human history in the form of a vulnerable infant. This love manifests not as abstract concept but as living presence, dwelling among us in the person of Christ.
     The progression from Thanksgiving to Advent creates a spiritual rhythm that can profoundly shape our understanding of these holy seasons. Gratitude for God's demonstrated faithfulness strengthens our confidence in His promises yet unfulfilled. The thankful heart becomes fertile ground for Advent's themes of expectation, preparation, joy, and love to take root and flourish.
     In this season when the nights get longer, the church is called to maintain its vigilant watch. We mark this time through meaningful practices: the lighting of the Advent candles, meditation on Scripture, and the embodiment of Christ's love through service to others. These practices connect us to the broader communion of saints who have observed this season throughout the centuries.
     The church must resist cultural pressures that would compress or eliminate this vital season of preparation. Rather, we are called to embrace Advent's invitation to thoughtful contemplation and expectation. Like Mary, we are to ponder these mysteries in our hearts. Like John the Baptist, we must prepare the way. Like the prophets, we watch for God's light in the darkness. And like the early church, we live in the tension between Christ's first advent and His promised return.
     Through this observance, we participate in the ancient rhythm of Christian faith—remembering God's faithfulness with thanksgiving while anticipating the complete fulfillment of His promises. This Advent season calls us to be people of both gratitude and anticipation, carrying our thanksgiving forward into expectant waiting for the Light of the World. May this season of Advent deepen our appreciation for Christ's first coming and heighten our anticipation of His return, as we journey together from thanksgiving to expectation, from memory to hope, from what God has done to what He has promised yet to do.