For more than 10 years and probably closer to 15 the Church at North Little Rock has celebrated/observed Advent. We have discovered that in the past there were few Protestant churches who observed the celebration. We have found it to be a great way to put special emphasis on what this season is all about. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. We share a devotion on each Sunday's theme and sing a Christmas carol that fits the lesson. We light the candle for that Sunday. Sounds simple, but the impact of stopping, reflecting and praying about what is all about is something I think we do better because of the observance of Advent.
I have provided a link to another web site that goes into a lot of detail about the celebration. We have "customized" (as most churches do) the celebration to fit our congregation.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."
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