During the early centuries after Christ the church developed the advent season.  It is a season to prepare our hearts to welcome Christ.  It used to be a season of fasting in some quarters, but now is probably needed more as a perspective check in the midst of consumer feasting.

Think about the tenses.  It would be easy to put advent in past tense – a season to remind our hearts of the coming of Christ.  That would be amazing.  God become flesh and dwelling amongst us, come to die in our place, to reconcile us to God, etc.  A past tense advent would be wonderful, but we have more.

Advent has future tense – it is a season to prepare our hearts to see Christ.  It is not only to celebrate his birth in Bethlehem, but to stir our hearts with the hope that one day we will see…