What Does Advent Mean?
Advent means “coming,” from the Latin adventus, and historically refers to the coming of Christ. The term Advent has been used by Christians for centuries to speak of both the coming of the Messiah in his incarnation and the coming of Christ at the final day. When people ask what Advent means, they are asking about the biblical and historical background of a season that blends waiting, hope, repentance, and joy. In Western Christianity, Advent begins on the Sunday nearest to November 30, the feast of St. Andrew, and contains four Sundays leading up to Christmas. In Eastern traditions, Advent is longer, beginning in mid-November. Across these traditions, Advent means a time of preparation, a season that turns the mind toward the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus and still awaiting final fulfillment at his return.
Understanding what Advent means involves three layers: the historical formation of the season, its theological message shaped by Scripture, and its ongoing purpose for Christians today. All three help explain why Advent became the beginning of the liturgical year, why it once resembled a smaller version of Lent, and why its themes still matter for followers of Christ.
The Historical Background: How Advent Developed and What It Originally Meant
The earliest clear references to Advent in the West appear in the late sixth century. The Gelasian Sacramentary contains Advent Collects, Epistles, and Gospels for five Sundays before Christmas, along with corresponding Wednesday and Friday Mass propers. These mid-week observances remained in England until the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The historical record shows that Advent originally had a penitential character. It was “kept as Lent, but with less strictness”: fasting, moderated celebration, and repentance marked its tone. Later centuries shaped the familiar four-Sunday structure.
The liturgical colors of Advent still reflect its older meaning. Purple traditionally marks a solemn season; the Roman Missal omits the Gloria in Excelsis during Advent Sundays. The third Sunday, Gaudete, uses rose vestments, a signal of joy breaking into the waiting. Advent Sunday became the start of the ecclesiastical year precisely because the Christian story begins with promise, not fulfillment—echoing God’s long history of preparing a people for the arrival of his Son.
Advent in the East is longer—forty days in some traditions. But across both East and West, the shared emphasis is preparation for Christ’s birth and preparation for Christ’s appearing as Judge at the Last Day. The season has always looked backward and forward, joining Bethlehem and the New Creation in a single thread.
What Advent Means in Christian Theology
In Christian theology, Advent means focusing on two comings of Christ revealed in Scripture:
The First Coming — the incarnation
The eternal Word “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This coming fulfills God’s promises to Abraham (Gen. 22:18), David (2 Sam. 7:12–16), and the prophets (Isa. 7:14; Mic. 5:2). Advent remembers the arrival of the King who inaugurates the kingdom of God.The Second Coming — the return of Christ
Jesus promises that he will come again to judge the living and the dead (Matt. 24:29–31; Acts 1:11). Advent means waiting with hope for the day when the crucified and risen Lord will renew creation and place all enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:24–28).
These two comings are not separate stories. Scripture holds them together. The incarnation is the beginning of the end-times work of God, and the return of Christ completes what began in Bethlehem. Advent therefore teaches Christians to celebrate fulfilled promises while longing for the fullness of redemption.
Advent also means entering the biblical pattern of waiting. The church remembers Israel’s long longing for the Messiah. Believers today echo that longing by seeking the full revelation of Christ’s kingdom. This connection of past and future mirrors themes found across the Bible—promise, waiting, fulfillment, and hope.
The Meaning of Advent as the Start of the Church Year
Advent begins the Christian liturgical year because the story of redemption begins with divine initiative. The meaning of Advent is fundamentally tied to the God who comes to his people. Christianity does not begin with human action or moral striving but with God’s movement toward humanity.
Three truths shape this:
1. God initiates redemption.
God calls Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3), delivers Israel (Ex. 20:1–2), and promises the coming King (Isa. 9:6–7). Advent recognizes that salvation is God’s work from start to finish.
2. The story moves from promise to fulfillment.
Advent Sunday invites Christians to begin again with the prophetic promises, to let the year repeat the rhythm of longing and joy.
3. Preparing for Christ shapes the entire year.
The meaning of Advent is not merely seasonal. It sets the tone for Christian time: waiting faithfully, watching for Christ’s kingdom, and living as those redeemed by his first coming.
How Advent Teaches Christians to Live
The meaning of Advent reaches into daily Christian life. It shapes how believers understand time, hope, holiness, and perseverance.
1. Advent means learning to wait
Waiting is a central biblical theme. Israel waited for God’s promises (Ps. 130:5), prophets pointed to a future salvation (Isa. 40:1–5), and the New Testament teaches believers to “wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:10). Advent gives this waiting an annual, embodied form.
2. Advent means repentance and renewal
Because Advent recalls Christ’s return as Judge (Matt. 25:31–46), it calls Christians to self-examination. Historically, fasting and sober celebration shaped this season. Even without formal fasting today, Advent teaches believers to resist distraction and worldly excess.
3. Advent means hope grounded in Christ
Hope in Scripture is not vague optimism. It is trust in the God who keeps promises (Rom. 15:12–13). Advent means remembering that Christ has come and will come again, and that all creation will be restored under his lordship (Rom. 8:18–25).
4. Advent means worshipping the God who comes near
The incarnation reveals God’s nearness (John 1:14), and the return of Christ reveals God’s final dwelling with humanity (Rev. 21:1–3). Advent bridges these truths, inviting believers into reverent, joyful worship.
The Broader Landscape: What Advent Does Not Mean
Because the term Advent appears in various religious movements, it is helpful to distinguish biblical Advent from later developments. In the nineteenth century, several movements known collectively as Adventists formed around teachings that Christ’s second coming was imminent. These groups—which now include Advent Christians and Seventh-day Adventists—are historically distinct from the liturgical season of Advent observed for over fifteen centuries.
While these groups emphasize the return of Christ, the meaning of Advent in historic Christianity is wider and more deeply rooted in Scripture, the church’s worship, and the rhythms of the Christian year.
Why the Meaning of Advent Still Matters Today
Even in a culture shaped by hurried holidays, the meaning of Advent serves a spiritual purpose:
It anchors believers in the biblical story.
It counters the assumption that fulfillment comes instantly.
It draws attention to the kingship of Jesus.
It forms habits of prayer, reflection, and anticipation.
It reminds the church of its identity as a people awaiting Christ.
By remembering the coming of Christ in the flesh and longing for the coming of Christ in glory, Christians enter the Gospel’s full horizon: salvation accomplished and salvation awaited. Advent teaches believers to live within this tension—the joy of what has come and the longing for what will be revealed.
Bible Verses About Advent
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2)
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“For to us a child is born.” (Isaiah 9:6)
“A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.’” (Isaiah 40:3)
“But you, O Bethlehem… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler.” (Micah 5:2)
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior.” (Philippians 3:20)
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’” (Revelation 22:20)
