Advent

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term for Advent, daerimjeol (待臨節), means "the season of awaiting the coming." It translates the Latin adventus ("arrival, coming"). Depending on the denomination and congregation, Korean churches also call the season Daegangjeol (待降節) or Gangnimjeol. Gangnimjeol in this sense is distinct from Pentecost.

Advent runs from the fourth Sunday before Christmas through Christmas Eve. Its starting date varies from year to year, always falling on a Sunday between November 27 and December 3. Because Advent is the first season of the church calendar, churches that follow the calendar regard the First Sunday of Advent as the beginning of the church's new year.

During Advent the church meditates on two "comings" together. The first is the birth of Jesus Christ as a human being two thousand years ago, that is, the Incarnation (God taking on human flesh). The second is the Second Coming, when Christ will return at the end of the age.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture contains no direct command to observe Advent. During this season, however, churches commonly read passages that look forward to the Messiah. Representative examples include Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 40:3, and the accounts of John the Baptist and Mary in Luke 1. Passages concerning the Second Coming, such as Matthew 24, are read as well.

Advent is generally understood to have begun taking shape in the Western church between the fourth and sixth centuries as a period of preparation for Christmas. In its early form it placed strong emphasis on fasting and penitence. Today the Catholic Church and many Protestant churches still use purple as the liturgical color of the season, signifying repentance and waiting; some churches use blue instead.

Practice in the Korean Church

The most widespread Advent custom in Korean churches is the lighting of Advent candles on an Advent wreath. Four candles are set in a circular arrangement, and one additional candle is lit each Sunday. In Protestant churches the four candles are commonly associated with hope, peace, joy, and love. Some churches place a fifth, white candle in the center and light it on Christmas. This custom is generally said to have originated in nineteenth-century Germany. Many churches also drape the pulpit in purple cloth or distribute Advent devotional booklets.

The degree to which Advent is observed varies by denomination.

• The Anglican Church of Korea and the Korean Methodist Church use the church calendar as the framework for worship. They therefore follow the Advent liturgy and the lectionary (a table of Scripture readings assigned to each season) relatively closely.
• Practice varies widely within the Presbyterian tradition. Some denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap) and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, make active use of the church calendar. Other churches in the Reformed tradition, however, have been cautious about using the church calendar, holding that Scripture does not appoint any holy days other than the Lord's Day. Even so, a growing number of these churches have recently begun lighting Advent candles.
• Baptist and Pentecostal churches often leave the matter to the discretion of the local congregation. Some observe the season as a time of preparation for Christmas through Christmas cantatas, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, and charitable outreach to their neighbors.