Advent dates back to the mid-sixth century. By the 13th century, the whole church recognized the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as a period of preparation for Christ’s coming. If Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus, then Advent is a time to ponder what that birth means—and the fact that Christ changes everything. This pondering is both a past tense and future tense occupation. It is past tense, because Advent is a time to remember the prophetic promises that came true when God sent His Son into the world. We reflect on the odd and sometimes overlooked prophecies that spoke of God coming to set things right—like Isaiah 61, which finds its fulfillment in Jesus, when he reads it in th
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