{"id":1327,"date":"2010-11-27T01:15:46","date_gmt":"2010-11-27T01:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/11\/how-i-first-learned-about-advent.html"},"modified":"2010-11-27T01:15:46","modified_gmt":"2010-11-27T01:15:46","slug":"how-i-first-learned-about-advent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/11\/how-i-first-learned-about-advent.html","title":{"rendered":"How I First Learned About Advent"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>In yesterday’s post, I explained the timing and purpose of
\nAdvent, as well as its unexpected color scheme. I closed by noting that
\nAdvent is growing in popularity, especially among Protestant Christians
\nwho, in many cases, did not grow up with much awareness of Advent. Liturgically sophisticated Protestants, such as Lutherans and Episcopalians, generally are familiar with Advent, but many have just the slightest understanding of this season. For most of my life, I fell into that category. Though, as I noted in my last
\npost, I enjoyed paper Advent calendars in my youth, I did not think of
\nAdvent as a season of the Christian year. In fact, I had no idea that
\nChristians even had a year with special seasons. At the First
\nPresbyterian Church of Hollywood where I grew up, we celebrated
\nChristmas and Easter, and that was about it. The weeks of December prior
\nto Christmas were Christmastime, not Advent.<\/p>\n

\"hollywood-pres-xmas-eve-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

When
\nI was a teenager, Lloyd Ogilvie came as Senior Pastor of Hollywood
\nPres. He brought with him the tradition of using an Advent wreath in
\nworship services prior to Christmas. Though we continued to sing
\nChristmas carols and decorate the sanctuary with Christmas colors, Dr.
\nOgilvie did, however, speak of Advent as a season of preparation for
\nChristmas. Still, I thought of Advent mostly as Christmas-lite, and not
\nas a distinct season with distinct emphases. (Photo: First Presbyterian
\nChurch of Hollywood on Christmas Eve 2007)<\/p>\n

While I was preparing for ordination in the Presbyterian
\nChurch, I took a course in “polity” (church order) at Fuller Theological
\nSeminary. The professor, Dr. Gary Demarest, lectured on a section of
\nthe PC(USA) Book of Order<\/em> that focused on worship. In this
\nlecture, he spoke with zeal about the “Church Year” and its various
\nseasons. These included: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week,
\nEaster, and Pentecost. Dr. Demarest talked excitedly about how the
\nseasons of the Church Year could enrich the worship of a church as well
\nas one’s private devotions. I had never heard anything like this. I was
\nintrigued, but didn’t do much with what I learned at that time. I was
\nserving on the staff at Hollywood Pres, where we continued to use an
\nAdvent wreath in our pre-Christmas worship services, but otherwise
\ndidn’t do much with Advent. <\/p>\n

My first full exposure to Advent came when I began as
\nSenior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991. It started with
\na complaint, of all things. Funny how that happens in church! Sometime
\nin November, a member of the church came to me to let me know how
\nunhappy she was that “Loren doesn’t let us sing Christmas carols until
\nChristmas Eve.” I asked why Loren, our worship director at the time, had
\nthis peculiar proscription. “Because he’s into Advent,” the woman
\nexplained. “He wants to sing only Advent songs during Advent.” <\/p>\n

What I heard about Loren seemed odd to me for many reasons,
\npartly because I could only think of two Advent hymns: “Come, Though
\nLong Expected Jesus” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” It was hard to
\nimagine four weeks of nothing but these songs, as wonderful as they might
\nbe. <\/p>\n

When I talked with Loren, I learned that the complaint I
\nhad heard was only partly true. Apparently, in years past, Loren had
\nvirtually outlawed Christmas music during Advent. He had reserved the
\nbeloved carols for Christmas Eve and the twelve-day season of Christmas
\nthat ended on January 6. But when many people in the congregation let
\nLoren know how much they missed singing Christmas carols prior to
\nChristmas, he relented. Now his plan was to start Advent with music that
\nwas Advent-themed, and slowly include Christmas carols in the Sundays
\nprior to Christmas. A few carols, however, like “Joy to the World,” were
\nreserved for Christmas Eve and thereafter. (This was ironic, because
\n“Joy to the World” was not actually written as a Christmas carol! See my article in Worship Leader<\/em> magazine<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

As I spoke with Loren, reassured that he wasn’t banning
\nChristmas music altogether before Christmas Eve, I listened to his
\npassion for Advent and the possibilities of our worship and devotional
\nlife being enriched by observing this season. I was excited by the
\npotential and eager to experience a more intentional and complete Advent
\nseason. <\/p>\n

During my first Advent at Irvine Presbyterian Church, I did
\nfind it odd to sing relatively few Christmas carols before Christmas
\nEve. And I did find much of the Advent music to be unfamiliar. We used
\nthe Advent wreath in worship, with its expressions of expectation and
\nhope. Though I missed some of what I had always associated with the
\nbuild up to Christmas, I found that Advent did indeed heighten my
\nyearning for the coming of Christ, and it did indeed help me to
\nexperience Christmas in a deeper way.<\/p>\n

Christmas of 1991, my first at Irvine Presbyterian Church,
\nwas the beginning of my becoming an Adventophile . . . an Advent lover. <\/p>\n

In my next post in this series, I’ll share more of what I
\nlearned about Advent. Tomorrow, however, my post will be a special
\nAdvent devotional.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n


<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advent Devotional Guide: Preparing for the Coming of Christ<\/b><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

I have written a devotional guide for Advent. It is based on Scripture, and is meant to be used with an Advent wreath. This devotional is simple and can be used in families with young children. It can also be adapted for other uses, such as Advent-themed worship services or personal devotions. You are welcome to download the Advent Devotional Guide<\/a> and use it as you see fit.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In yesterday’s post, I explained the timing and purpose of Advent, as well as its unexpected color scheme. I closed by noting that Advent is growing in popularity, especially among Protestant Christians who, in many cases, did not grow up with much awareness of Advent. Liturgically sophisticated Protestants, such as Lutherans and Episcopalians, generally are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advent"],"yoast_head":"\nHow I First Learned About Advent - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}