An Anthology Of Hymns And Songs For Advent

Advent symbolizes three distinct historical events of Scripture: (1) Christ's second coming; (2) The prophetic ministry of John the Baptist and his forbearers of the Old Testament; and (3) The angelic annunciations, both to Joseph and to Mary, of the coming birth of the Savior. Advent begins with the broadest scope in prophetic time and narrows the time span to the specific point of the annunciation of the Lord's coming birth. The spirit of worship is consequently one of hope, of expectancy, and of certitude in the prophetic statements concerning the Messiah's arrival. It is both the historical affirmation of Christ's first coming and expectation of his second Advent, a reality-to-come, that is the true hope of the believer (Titus 2:13-14). Advent consists of four Sundays. The first immediately follows the last Sunday after Pentecost (that is, the Sunday of the Fulfillment), while the final one is the Sunday nearest Christmas Eve (the Nativity season itself being Christmas Eve, …