Stones Cry Out

Among Christians in the West, on the other hand, this preparatory season, which tends to be slightly less rigorous and often involves no special fasting at all, always begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Thus, from year to year it will vary in length between 3 and 4 weeks, but always with four Sundays.

Several other features of Advent are worthy of comment:

First, in the West the First Sunday of Advent is treated as the beginning of the liturgical year. (In the East, the liturgical year does not begin at Advent but on September 1, which bears the traditional title, “Crown of the Year.” Its relationship to the Jewish feast of Rosh Hashana is obvious.)

Second, as a time of preparation for the birth and manifestation of Christ, the readings of this season have traditionally given special attention to the voice of prophecy, with a strong emphasis on the reading of Isaiah and John the Baptist’s preaching on repentance.

Third, during the twentieth century there arose the useful custom of the Advent wreath, both in church buildings and in Christian homes. This wreath lies horizontally and is adorned with four candles. The latter, symbolic of the four millennia covered in Old Testament history, are lit one at a time on each Saturday evening preceding the four Sundays of Advent, by way of marking the stages in the season until Christmas.

Fourth, traditionally the liturgical color for this season is violet or purple, symbolic of royalty (for the coming of the King) and of sobriety (as befits a season of renewed repentance). A softer rose color is sometimes substituted near the end of the season.

Fifth, because of the emphasis on repentance as the proper preparation for God, Advent is a season of great seriousness, not a time of festivity, much less of partying and secular concerns. Traditionally, it is not part of the “Christmas holidays,” and Christians of earlier times, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, would have been shocked at the current habit of treating this as a period of jolly good times and “Christmas cheer,” complete with office parties, the trimming of Christmas trees and other domestic adornments, the exchange of gifts, caroling, and even the singing of Christmas music in church.

All of these festive things are part of the celebration of Christmas itself, which traditionally lasts the 12 days from December 25 to January 6. Anticipating these properly Christmas activities in advance of Christmas itself considerably lessens the chance of our being properly prepared, by repentance, for the grace of that greater season; it also heightens the likelihood that we will fall prey to the worldly spirit that the commercial world would encourage during this time.

Our family began using an Advent Wreath and an Advent Calendar for the first time last year. If your family is looking to make its own Christmas traditions, using a wreath and calendar would be a very good starting point.