“Happy New Year!”

Our pastor got a number of blank stares on this November morning until he reminded us that the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical year.

It seems strange, at first, that our year opens this way. Our broader society begins the new year on a high. A majority of people are coming off the fever pitch of celebration that is Christmas, and on December 31^st, we ring in the new year with fireworks, champagne, and a huge party. The Christian new year is different. Much more solemn. Advent is a whole season of waiting. We sing and pray, “O come, O come, Emmanuel! Death’s dark shadow put to flight!”

The Christian year begins in darkness, anticipating the light that will appear in the sky to hail the birth of our Savior. And on second thought, it fits right into the story our God has told from the beginning. For in the beginning, the earth was without form and void. Darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1). Then, with just a few words—“Let there be!”—light and life burst into being. At the exact moment God willed it to be, it was, and not a moment sooner. Just so the coming of Christ in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4).

So happy new year, brothers and sisters! Let’s ring it in the way the church has for centuries. Let’s feel the ache of a broken world longing to be healed. Advent doesn’t just point to the first coming of Christ to the manger; it also points to the second coming when all longings will be fulfilled. When all wrongs will be made right. “The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Right now we’re aching, groaning, grieving. But not as those who have no hope. He will come. Just you wait.