I think one of my enduring memories of Advent as a child is the Advent calendar. I don’t recall us using one very often, but I distinctly remember them being in our house. So many Advent calendars had little chocolates or other treats behind each door. I also remember the Christmas countdown rings—red and green paper strips linked into a chain, with one link removed each day leading up to Christmas. The goal was Christmas morning and getting to open presents.
Yes, Christmas was Jesus’ birthday, but it was also about the presents! It was about waking up and seeing that Santa Claus had arrived. I loved (and still do) opening the stockings hung by the chimney with care. Seeing the presents under the tree was always a thrill. It was just so fun.
I think Christmas ought to be fun! It is a celebration of the coming of Christ. But I am also growing to see the role that Advent plays. It’s a time to remind us that Christ did not come simply to give us gifts. While his story culminated in the resurrection, that was not all he came to accomplish.
As I ponder and read the Advent readings this year, I am deeply struck by what the prophets proclaimed and how their words point to Christ. Consider this week’s reading from Isaiah 11:1–9:
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
— Isaiah 11:1–9, NRSV
This is one of those passages filled with imagery we can hold onto—the “wolf shall live with the lamb” and the like. Yet that’s not what stood out to me this time.
Did you catch that line in the middle?
“He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.”
I have to confess, I don’t think I’ve ever really noticed those verses before.
There is something important here we need to grasp. In the ancient world, judgments were often shaped by prejudice. A person’s appearance or speech could determine whether they received justice—and this was especially true for the poor.
Can you imagine living in a culture where you’re judged by your appearance or how you speak?
Oh wait.
It turns out people haven’t changed much over the millennia. As much as things change, they stay the same.
In both 1 Corinthians and James, partiality—giving certain people preferential treatment—was a significant problem. Paul and James both had to address it. The early church was not immune to the struggles common to all humanity.
Christ, to whom the early church applied this passage from Isaiah 11, was one who judged with righteousness. He did not judge by outward appearances. Righteousness in Christ is a standard not rooted in partiality but flowing from his very being.
It stands to reason that the Church is to embody this ethic. To be found in Christ is to live like him. Christ did not come simply to offer hope of a future heaven. No—he was ushering in the Kingdom of God here and now. This means that, of all people, those who claim to follow him are to pursue justice and righteousness in spite of outward appearances or social standing.
Advent is the season when we are called to remember. We remember the hope of Christ—and not just the hope, but the promise of justice.
Advent is a time of reflection. I need to wrestle with how I am practicing these values. How am I caught up in my own prejudices and partialities? Who am I willing to deny justice because of something external?
Advent isn’t really about little chocolates or a countdown to Santa Claus. It is a season to remember and reflect, to grow in the hope that we will become more like Christ as we prepare for his coming.