Advent Calendars
Days to Christmas
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Advent is the time of preparation leading up to Christmas – the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Meaning
The word ‘advent’ comes from the Latin word ‘adventus’, which means ‘arrival’ and refers to Jesus’ coming into the world as the long-expected Messiah or King.
Advent Calendars
The advent calendar has been around for more than 150 years. Starting on 1st December, each day until Christmas a door is opened to reveal a picture or a small gift.
The first printed advent calendar was produced by Gerhard Lang in Germany in 1908. When he was a child, his mother attached little sweets to a piece of cardboard and each day Gerhard would take one off. His first printed calendar consisted of miniature coloured pictures that would be attached to a piece of cardboard each day in December.
The years of our calendar are calculated from the time of the birth of Jesus.
’21st Century’ means that there have been over 20 centuries (2000 years) since his birth.
Hundreds of years before his birth people (called prophets) in the Old Testament part of the Bible predicted that a Saviour would be born. They even predicted the place of his birth – Bethlehem.
So for hundreds of years people waited for the birth of Jesus to take place.
The Bible says
Isaiah 7:13
The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times.