Through Twitter, blogs, etc I have noticed a rise in Evangelicals partaking in Advent. I was raised Catholic and haven’t done Advent since I got saved and became a Baptist, but I find it interesting that so many Baptists and other Evangelicals are partaking in Advent this year.
I’m curious as to what Southern Baptists have decided to do Advent this year.
Is your SBC Church doing Advent this year? Why or Why Not?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
We are doing Advent candles and the sermons have themes on the coming of Christ.
There are multiple reasons. One reason is simply the fact that in a culture filling Christmas with themes that have nothing to do with the coming of the Son of God, Advent Sundays are good ways to help people stay focused on the celebration.
Pastor finished going verse by verse through Romans a few weeks ago, in time to do four advent themed sermons. We also light candles each Sunday, progressively larger in number. Then Christmas eve everyone holds a candle.
Why? Tradition.
I assume this would offend someone holding to the regulative principal of worship. Comments on that?
I grew up in SBC churches and we never did Advent. I moved to Sioux City in 2005 and there were a few families big on doing the Advent thing. I guess, because I never got into it young, it has never been important to me.
Yes, but only because it’s my first year here and I didn’t want to get rid of it yet. Greatly diminished role. If I had to guess, I’d say less than 5% of people in churches even know what the word “advent” means.
I wrote devotionals for each Sunday of Advent, and the pastor’s sermons are based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings for Advent Sundays. Otherwise, no Advent observances.
Not particularly. It was mentioned once maybe last year as a time of the year and individuals mention it in conversation, but we don’t do anything in particular as a church.
This will be our second season celebrating Advent. It has been a very fresh time for our people as we’ve been reminded that Jesus came first to rescue us from our sins and He’ll come again to rescue us from our sufferings.
What does it mean to “do advent”? We sing Christmas-themed songs, our Scripture readings are organized around Jesus’ birth, the sermon series is about Jesus’ birth as well. I guess that qualifies? We don’t light advent candles.
Generally, (from my limited knowledge) Advent traditions focus on remembering why Christ had to come (and will come again). “Christmas” proper focuses more on the actual birth narrative itself.
I had a friend who got out of the SBC a few years back slam us yesterday for ignoring Advent, so it’s good to see at least a few who incorporate that.
Someone else who has more knowledge than me want to add or clarify my poor definition?
Josh C,
I think two things are in order. First, what made your friend leave the SBC? It sounds like he may have been looking for anything to “slam” the SBC about and advent just happened to fit that catagory.
Secondly, advent celebration isn’t essential. We are supposed to continually remember Christ’s advent. Hopefully, we remember Christ’s first advent every day that we have the breath of life remaining in us. The Bible also commands that we continually remember Christ’s still future coming–So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this [i.e. Christ's advent or second coming], make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him, 2 Pe 3:14 NIV.
Therefore, the advent of Christ isn’t just to be celebrated once a year, but it is to be remembered continually as it drives and spurs us on to grow in spiritual maturity. I think this is the reason that Baptist’s have forgone the traditional celebration of advent. We don’t ignore it either, but we simply just don’t put an emphasis upon it’s celebration.
It’s a long story. I was mainly interested in the response to this post to see if there were exceptions to my friend’s claim. I like to think that we Baptists are more diverse than some are willing to paint us.
While I agree with your well-reasoned point that we must always live in light of Christ’s coming, I would argue that the lack of Advent tradition in Baptist life has more to do with any liturgical associations it may have. (more of a “high church/low church” kind of debate).
And of course, abandoning more traditional celebrations hasn’t left Baptists without our own liturgies. The “high holy days” of July 4th, Veterans Day, Friend Day, “Harvest” Festival seem to be doing quite well!
“I think this is the reason that Baptist’s have forgone the traditional celebration of advent.”
Forgone implies that Baptists, particularly Southern Baptists, collectively observed Advent in the past. That is obviously not true. So, Baptists have not forgone anything.
However, as this post suggests and other recent articles have suggested, more and more Baptists (of all varieties) and more and more non-Baptist evangelicals have begun to observe Advent. Same situation with Lent. Baptists and other Evangelicals seem to be warming up to some ecumenical traditions/practices.
Some it may simply have to do with the generational shift. Those raised in “postmodern” times seem to be more comfortable with symbols and pictures (which more “traditional” practices provide) than earlier generations.
It could also be the old “bologna syndrome.” (and yes I do mean the processed lunch meat!) My parents both grew up in relatively tight financial situations, and bologna was a staple of the diet in their childhood. They naturally grew to hate it, so we hardly ever had bologna at our house during my childhood. Which means, that ironically, I now sort of like balogna sandwiches.
Previous generations without traditions like Advent (many of which were left behind for good motives–we need to be charitable to our forbears) now may watch as the next generations find some of those left-behind traditions new and fascinating. (and in a generation or two, don’t be surprised if it reverses again.)
Years ago, when I was tied to a few set patterns, I could not take part in rituals which is what Advent is all about. Then I found I could take part in some rituals, but I still have difficulty with them as Baptists are antiritualistic. Here is the problem as I see it. I have Dr. R.G. Lee on record telling about an old negro deacon attending the dedication of a railroad in the mountains of North Carolina. while there he heard a minister read a prayer, and he said, “Well, that’s the first time I ever heard God read to about a railroad.” Then I had a pastor friend who mentioned to me about reciting the Lord’s prayer. he said he as in the engineers during World War II. One night they were called out to clear a mine field. Normally, the chaplain was there to lead them in prayer. That night, he could not be there. They all joined hands and recited the model prayer. He said, “Brother Jim, that’s one time reciting a prayer really did mean a lot to me.” Going out to clear a mine field at night, I guess a recited prayer would mean a lot then. However, I am also reminded that ritualism was the problem that choked the church and led to the Reformation as people sougt to get back to the original teachings of Holy Scripture. One of my professors in college, Dr. Rufus Crozier, told of preaching one Sunday in a church where they had a spotlight on a picture of Jesus with a two candles on the communion table with an open Bile between them. Dr. Crozier was led to preach in chapel (at what was then St. Louis Baptist College, now Mo. Baptist Univ.) on “The Godlen Calf Complex” where Aaron drew a gold calf out of the fire, etc. The preacher and professor delivered a dry and witty discourse on how the Baptists in that church should have added five more candles and taken out the pictue of Jesus and replaced it with a crucifix. Our plain houses and worship were a response to the extreme idolatry that had grown up as a result of Roman corruptions. I remember reading of one dear soul of the Lollards who, in contempt for the idolatry of the bread, taken the wafer home and feeding it to the rats. In that day, that kind of conduct could get you burned at the stake, and some were. We forget that in the first 17 years of the 1500s (before Luther posted his 95 theses on the church door), there were 350 prosecutions in England alone for heresy (fortunately, only a few of them were burnt at the stake as the English were not as bad on that issue as other nations were). The reality of the invisibility of God and His presence is what is lost in thee ritualistic practices. The Baptists were concerned aboutthat reality and, thus, sought to be as biblical as possible in their worship.
Advent is quite simply the most counter-cultural thing a Christian can do during the holiday season. When Christmas starts in the middle of October, many are sick to death of it by the December 25th actually arrives. Advent celebrates the waiting, the preparation, and honors those who waited for the first advent of Jesus Christ. Then Christmas Day can be the fulfillment of those promises.
Rather than demand that the general public “keep Christ in Christmas,” what we do is this: sing the Christmas songs, watch the t.v. specials, visit the mall Santa, etc. Then in our home and church we keep the weeks of Advent, reading the Psalms and prophesies. Advent is Christ-centered, even as American Christmas is commercial and secular. We should not be surprised when unbelievers don’t act like Christians.