My daughters don’t believe in Santa Claus. They never have. That’s mostly because my wife and I are evil and we told them from the very beginning that Santa Claus wasn’t real. (If this is news to you, please accept my apologies for breaking the news in such a heartless way.) We made sure they knew that many people like to pretend that Santa is real. And, since we don’t want to ruin their fun, we shouldn’t tell other kids the truth about Santa. The last thing we wanted to deal with were a bunch of angry parents wanting to know why our kindergartener had ruined their holiday traditions.
Although I like how we’ve handled the Santa Claus issue, and I wouldn’t want to do it differently, it’s hard not to notice that my daughters never approached Christmas with the same kind of anxious anticipation as other children. There were no eager questions about “When will Santa be here?” or whispers of “I think I hear him.” An element of expectation comes with the story of Santa Claus that has a nearly irresistible sense of childish delight. And, when he’s finally arrived, all of that pent up expectation–all the anxious hours of waiting, all the uncertainties and anxieties–explode in the delighted yell, “He came!”
To some degree, that’s what the Advent season is all about.
Remembering the Past
Somehow we need to recapture that same sense of eager expectation if we’re going to appreciate what it was like to live on the verge of the New Testament. God poured out some amazing promises on his people throughout the Old Testament: a new king, a new sacrifice, a new spirit, a new heart, a new creation, and many more. For years, God’s people had fed on a steady diet of God’s promises, knowing that he had not abandoned them, fearing that he had done just that.
“Is the promised one really coming?”
“Yes, he’s coming. He’ll be here soon!”
“Is that him?”
“No, not yet.”
“Where is he?”
“Over there!”
“No, that’s definitely not him again.”
“He’ll never come.”
“Yes, he will. I know it. He’s coming. God promised.”
Living on this side of Christmas, it’s easy to forget all the years of waiting and uncertainty, sustained only by faith in the One who promised.
At the same time, Advent reminds us that the waiting was not in vain. God kept his promises. He always does.
Advent reminds us of God’s faithfulness to his waiting people. Take some time this season to remember.
Waiting in the Present
By calling us to remember the anxious waiting of God’s people before Christ’s birth, Advent also calls us to wait faithfully in our own time. Just like them, we are waiting for the coming of the Messiah. And just like them, we often struggle with the waiting.
“Is the promised one really coming?” If I’m honest, that’s a question that haunts my heart at times. “I know he promised, but it’s been so long. We keep waiting, but we don’t see anything. Where is he?” The same questions that must have plagued God’s people before Christmas continue to pursue us after. Advent helps me see that I’m not alone when the waiting gets difficult and the questions loom.
More importantly, at times, Advent reminds me that I am supposed to be waiting. In a distracted world, this is easy to forget. The question “Will he come?” doesn’t haunt my soul, not because of my incredible faith, but because I’ve forgotten to ask it. Advent helps me remember that I’m waiting for something more important than a new iPhone on Christmas morning.
By reminding us of the past, Advent calls us to be faithful “waiters” in the present. Take some time this season to wait. Allow yourself to ask the questions and face the uncertainties of those who wait. Allow yourself to long for the one who is still coming. Let it eat at you that he’s not here yet. Waiting is not easy. But it’s part of our story.
Hoping for the Future
Finally, the Advent season would not be complete if it didn’t draw our eyes toward the future and the final coming of Jesus Christ, Messiah and Lord of everything.
As we turn the page from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we pass through a time of anxious waiting, arriving at the birth of the Messiah and the beginning of the time of fulfillment. But, as central as Christmas is to the Christian story, it points toward something more–that time when the Messiah will come in all his glory, establishing his Kingdom and redeeming his people forever. The time when hope becomes reality, when promise becomes present, when not yet becomes now. The time when all of God’s people will join together in one delighted yell:
“He came!”
Take some time this season to hope. Let Advent draw your vision toward the future. Like before, God will be faithful. He has promised. The Messiah is coming. And when he comes, all of God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Advent is a season for remembering carefully all that God has done in the past, waiting faithfully through the uncertainties of the present, and hoping confidently for all that God has planned for the future. Give yourself a chance to do all three this year.
About Marc Cortez
Well, you are right about there not being a Santa Claus. Congratulations! You have been very true to facts. Are your kids really better for it? Somehow, I doubt it.
Having followed this site for a while, I was thinking that Western and its personnel had migrated to the Evangelical center. Now having read this entry, I am tempted to believe that Western is still just a fundamentalist outpost of Dallas…
I find it interesting that you’ve chosen to interpret my comments as reflecting a fundamentalist form of dispensationalism (at least, I assume that’s what the reference to Dallas is about). Yet all I’ve done is affirm that Jesus will in fact return someday to complete God’s redemptive purposes and that we live in a time of waiting. That is something that nearly all evangelicals (indeed, every major Christian group) affirms. Granted, there are significant disagreements about how to understand his return and the events surrounding it, but I’ve said nothing about any of that. I assume, then, that you have your own reasons for interpreting any reference to waiting for Jesus’ return as indicating a particular form of dispensationalism. Whatever they are, they have little to do with what I’ve actually written.
I think there has been close relationship between Western and Dallas TS. But people came to Oregon in the early days looking for a fresh start, so our religious institutions might do better reflecting that. Dr. John McLoughlin was an early leading settler—and a Roman Catholic who extended help to people no matter what their religious connection was.
Yes, Western and Dallas have a long history of friendly relationships (and still do). And because of that, people sometimes draw stronger connections between the schools than are actually there. For a variety of reasons (including the cultural/geographical ones you note), we’re rather different (in good ways).
One way that Oregon and Texas are different is in our political structures. Oregon was one of the first states to adopt citizen initiative and referendum, as opposed to policy taking place through elected officials, only. In other words any citizen can begin a process to seek to affect our public policy, by getting enough like minded individuals to put something on the ballot. So, Christians who want to affect public policy don’t need to hobknob with the political leaders, but there is opportunity to begin something independently. Here is a link to a map from USC showing the I & R states: http://www.iandrinstitute.org/statewide_i&r.htm I think this does make a difference. Southern states have been slow to adopt. Here is a group seeking to implement the I&R process in Texas:http://www.initiativefortexas.org/
Not sure if this is current, but has been the status for many years. So, yes, Oregon and Texas are different.
I can honestly say that this is a direction I didn’t expect the discussion on this post to go!
Marc -
Thanks for a great post. Unfortunately, we get caught up in the “Christmas Season” without reflecting on the season of Advent. We are innundated with the commercial Christmas not long after Labor Day, it seems. We need to have a waiting attitude, but we need to be actively waiting. We as Christians cannot wait on our laurels until the Messiah comes, but we need to be “Preparing a way for the LORD.” Jesus Christ’s second advent is upon us, whether He comes before I finish writing this, or 1,000 years from now — we are in the waiting time. He did promise to return, but we need to be ready. That includes teaching and preaching the Gospel to all who will hear. I pray that we can joyously say “He came!” rather than fearfully saying “He came!”
Praise God He is coming again!!!
“Actively waiting” – I like that phrase. Well said.
Thanks for this. Advent carries with it a beautiful reminder that God is faithful to his purposes and promises.
The Lord is good to those who wait for him… (Lam 3:25)
True story: When my parents “broke the news” to me that there was no Santa, my response was to ask, “So is there such thing as Jesus?” My mother was mortified.
Don’t lie to your kids.
BTW – if eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus makes one a fundamentalist, then sign me up . . . quickly.
I think it’s OK to tell kids there is no Santa Claus. Just don’t tell them Adam and Eve walked with dinosaurs. The smart, science minded kids in school will laugh at them.
Great article. Sadly, for many, Christmas has become just another holiday to spend money and get presents. One of my favorite Christmas specials is “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The last few minutes are wonderful, when Linus stands up and tells the story of Christ’s birth and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” We shouldn’t need that reminder, but we do. As Christians, Christmas should be everyday, but it’s not.