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Christian Year

ADVENT

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There are two periods of preparation in the Christian year. One is Lent which is the period before Good Friday and Easter which mark the death and resurrection of Jesus. The other is Advent which is the period before Christmas Day which marks the birth of Jesus. The word derives from the Latin for “to” and “come” and refers to the coming of Jesus.

There are four Sundays in Advent and these are the four before Christmas Day itelf. Advent is the period between Advent Sunday, the first of these Sundays, and Christmas Eve. As Christmas Day can fall on any day of the week, Advent Sunday can be on any date between 27 November and 3 December.

Although for many, Advent relates to the coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem [Luke 2: 1-14], for others it can also refer to the anticipated “second coming” of Jesus [Matthew 24:29-31; John 21: 20-22; Acts 1: 9-11].