Advent is really a Latin word, advenio, which mean to approach or draw near. During this season we reflect upon the coming of Jesus. We see him come to us first at Christmas, but we also know that he is coming again on the last day. Advent then looks at Jesus coming from those two perspectives reminding us to prepare our hearts for his coming to our world at Christmas and for his coming on Judgement Day.

One of the ways we prepare our hearts is through the decorations that we put up. They are more than just beautiful to look at, they also carry a message. For example, the banner that now hangs on the (from your perspective) right side of the chancel (the chancel is the front part of the church) has four candles on it, representing the four candles of the Advent wreath and therefore the four weeks of the Advent season. Each candle has a different word printed on it. The first word is WATCH. During the season of Advent we watch for the coming of Jesus. We know when we are going to celebrate Jesus coming; December 25th of course! It is on our calendar, but it wasn’t on the shepherd’s calendar. They were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. They were surprised to hear from the angels that the savior had been born to them, because they were keeping watch for his coming. We keep watch for Jesus glorious return not by staying awake forever or going up some mountain and staring at the sky. We keep watch for Jesus by listening to his word and using the sacraments. Through word and sacrament the Holy Spirit keeps our faith strong, faith that is constantly watching for Jesus return.