The reverend extraordinaire Nicholas Lubelfeld is our resident sage on all things theology, especially when it comes to the Anglican tradition. As is his common way, Nicholas helps us lean into the season with tender hearts and endearing humility.

We don't know when Jesus was born, but we fixed the celebration of his birth and manifestation around the time of the winter solstice because there was great festivity going on in the feast of Sol Invictus, for example, in the Roman Empire. And so the church authorities said, "Oh, look, there's already a lot of festivities. Let's celebrate his birth at that time because it's a convenient time to do it, and we can take advantage of some of the excitement of the time to help point people to the joy of the coming of the light into the world." So that was celebrated around then.

And just like the early church celebrated Easter on Sunday as a little Easter from the beginning called the Lord's Day, which was the first day of the week, so also they would have new Christians baptized at that time. And they set aside a time which developed into Lent for the preparation of candidates for baptism. And so this became a 40-day period of fasting and prayer for candidates who were going to be baptized, but also the church in solidarity with them.

It was also a time in Lent when people who, by virtue of notorious sins, were excluded from the close fellowship of the church and had to undertake a period of penance, of discipline and fasting and repentance and restitution before they could be readmitted to the fellowship of the church fully, were also praying, and people prayed in solidarity with them.

So that's happened around in preparation for Easter, but then people were also going to be baptized around the Epiphany or Christmastime, and so there developed a period of preparation for that as well. One of the great themes, of course, was preparing for the celebration of the coming of Christ.

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The Church Calendar

“The season after the Epiphany goes through what is called by Roman Catholics – and it’s catching on – ‘Ordinary Time,’ which means that it’s not devoted to anything in particular. Historically though, it was a season in which one considered the mission of the Church. It culminates in the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus…”

Yuletide Spirit

“I remember my boss when I was a new curate, asked me if I believed in the Yuletide spirit. And I said, "What's the Yuletide spirit?" He said, "Well, you know, there's a Christian celebration of Christmas, but there's also a secular celebration of Goodwill and presents…”

If you have a dinner party, clean the house

“There was an emphasis on the second coming of Christ and the need to repent in preparation for his coming, but my dad used to tell me when I was a little boy, he said, ‘Son, keep short accounts with the Lord and live in a state of grace.’ I said, ‘What is that?’”

There's a dual focus to the season

“Advent has a kind of a dual focus, and the focus of Advent is the first coming of Christ in preparation for celebration of his nativity and the second coming of Christ in preparation for the fuller coming of Christ. There was originally a little longer period of preparation for Christmas…”

We don't know what season Jesus was born

“We don't know when Jesus was born, but we fixed the celebration of his birth and manifestation around the time of the winter solstice because there was great festivity going on in the feast of Sol Invictus, for example, in the Roman Empire…”

With Jesus, there are 12 days

“Advent begins the church year traditionally, and then the ... This is in the West. I'm not speaking for Orthodox Christians in the East. But in the Western churches, Advent begins the church year. Then there's Christmastide, of which there are 12 days…”

Mapping out the Sundays

“Originally though, they seem to be these two foci. One was preparing for the second coming. That seemed to be Irish influence in what were the Gallican, what we call France today, churches. And then there was this other emphasis of preparing for the Nativity of Christ…”

A third coming of Christ

“You'll have hymns at Christmas, like ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem',’ in which we hear about how silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming. But in this world of sin where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in…”

It's getting darker earlier

“Advent was a time when you were aware that it's getting dark earlier. So the winter light is a low light and there's not as much of it. So you're aware of the light in the darkness, not just the light in the darkness. And I had this sense of it and I associated it with later on the excitements of Christmas…”

A little boy in Detroit

“So here I am, this little boy in Detroit, Michigan, looking up through the boughs of a Christmas tree and imagining these worlds of light and being captivated and transfixed by the wonder of it. And here I am beginning to enter as one of the little steps of grace into this relationship with the Father…”

He's coming; get ready

“Listen to this hymn. Luther wrote this one after Ambrose of Milan, who was the Bishop of a city in Northern Italy in the 4th century. "Savior of the nations come, virgin son make here your home. Marvel now both heaven and earth that the Lord chose such a birth, wondrous birth…”

Do you want some hymns?

“O heavenly Word, eternal light begotten of a Father’s might who in these latter days was born for blessing to a world forlorn, pour light upon us from above and fire our hearts with ardent love that as we hear your truth today all wrong desires will burn away…”

Offload the things that don't matter

“Then also there’s the song of Zechariah - that’s the father of John the Baptist - whose silence preceded the birth of John because he didn’t believe the message of the angel Gabriel who said, “Your wife is going to have a baby in her old age and he’s going to be the prophet of the Most High…”

It's a way to listen

“It's really nice, if you feel like someone has something to say to you, to be quiet for a minute and listen. Advent's a way of doing that. And you do that by listening to the Scriptures of the season. So pray the collect. Don't take my word for it. Try it yourself, and see that it doesn't do something to you. Pray that collect. It's found in the prayer book…”

What to do for devotions

“There's always been Advent on the books. And it's been an invitation to go deeper into preparation for Christmas. A time to clear the decks, wash things up, get ready. You don't have to take my word for it. If you want an invitation to Advent, here's what you do…”