John 1:6-10 — There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Advent — it comes from the Latin “adventus” for “arrival.” The English language has changed a lot since I was young — but the religious sense of the word advent can be traced more than a thousand years. It’s an active word! Some of my favorite carols get it right …

— “Oh come, oh come Emmanuel.”
— “Come, thou long expected Jesus,born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.”

Jesus acted to save and redeem us. And this is good time of year to start remembering it. Sometimes, though, we can mistake it, and see Jesus as passive. We see the little baby Jesus, born in a manger, on the run from the wicked king … a potential victim. How does that connect to the Savior, the one who swept through the temple driving out the moneychangers? How does it connect to the Rabbi who attracted (and fed) crowds of thousands?
The thing is, Jesus came. God came. There was a pretty decent announcement — a star, a heavenly choir, shepherds, kings … and yet … The world knew Him not.
It happens every year. The announcement happens … and yet … the world knows Him not. But you know, He still comes.
I wrote the other day about Christianity being a faith lived in the continuous present. And so it is. The birth of Christ is not just something that happened two thousand years ago. It’s happening in the continuous presence. At any given moment Jesus is coming into somebody’s life. But still, the world knows Him not.
How should we react to this? There is only one response … another carol “Oh come all ye faithful”. “Come”. A different Latin word actually — “Adeste”. It might well be translated “Be present”, or even “Hurry up and be present!”
Advent is a time when we need to think about hurrying up to be present. Jesus came. He is coming. He will come. We need to be ready.