by Dr. Jay Richard Akkerman
The Greek writer Plutarch (c. A.D. 46-125) once attributed an anecdote from King Antiphanes of Sparta that once in time, a severe cold was so intense that spoken words crystalized in the air as soon as they were uttered, only thawing out and becoming audible the following summer.
In some ways, Antiphanes’ legend reminds me of the ways many of us think about Advent, the opening season on our Christian calendars. As daylight constricts and temperatures plummet, it’s tempting to follow our culture’s headlong rush straight to the twenty-fifth day of December. Just think about it: when did you first see Christmas decorations for sale in the stores this year, or how long have you been hearing radio stations blasting Christmas music on the dial 24/7? How many weeks ago did you see your first Christmas commercial on television? We’re so eager for Christmas to arrive that it almost feels as if our hopes in these intervening weeks will hang frozen in the air until they finally thaw on Christmas morning.
Instead, Advent utters a humble two-word response in low tones: quietly, almost imperceptibly, the recurring phrase is “Not yet.”
Tempting as it can be, Advent reminds us to delay our singing of “Joy to the World” until the anniversary of Jesus’ birth actually arrives. It’s a “Not yet” season. Instead, Advent invites us to spend time anticipating the birth of the Christ child, similar in many ways to how eagerly we once longed for Christmas morning when we were young children ourselves. During Advent, we wait earnestly with those from two millennia ago who prayed, “O come, O come, Emmanuel.” We prepare ourselves, inviting the world to join us in receiving her King. We long with Bethlehem for the Messiah’s coming, even in dark streets where everlasting light imperceptibly shines and “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
Children often interpret their parents’ “Not yet” responses to their requests as a cast-off “No.” But Advent invites us to enter into the spiritual adventure of preparation and anticipation of Emmanuel—the God who comes to us. Not on our timelines, but on God’s.
During Advent, we’re training to hone patient endurance, which prepares us inevitably for challenges during other seasons in our lives. Advent reminds us that “not yet” is not the same as “no.” One is a dead-end, a rejection; the other is a refinement of expectations.
On behalf of my colleagues in our Office of University Mission & Ministry, as well as the administration, faculty, staff and students of NNU, I pray that you, your family, and your congregation experience meaningful Advent and Christmas seasons this year. As we navigate all of life’s “Not yet” seasons together, may every heart prepare room for the holy infant who comes so tender and mild, when “Not yet” ultimately becomes “now.”
Blessings, my friend!
+>j
