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Jordan Kelley is a junior at DePaul University. Jordan is an Interfaith Scholar and is a leader in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This is Jordan’s first year as an Interfaith Scholar.

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If you didn’t know it yet, the Advent season has begun. The Advent season begins the new year for the Christian calendar. Advent actually means “coming” or “arrival”. The season of Advent commemorates two main events. First, is the birth of Jesus. The next event is the second “advent” or “coming” of Jesus in his final return. The spirit of Advent is both one of celebration, and of anticipation for the final renewal of creation that is promised by Jesus in his final return. During Advent, Christians reflect both on the birth of Jesus, and what it means to wait for the final renewal of all things. This season usually lasts four weeks leading right up to Christmas, and the Bible readings in the liturgy during these weeks reflect the Advent theme. Two things I reflect on as a Christian during Advent are: what does the birth of Jesus mean for me, and what is it that I wait for?

Jesus was born into a world of violence and turmoil. Born under the boot of the world’s greatest empire, Rome, the God of Immanuel, God with us, was born into a small peasant family. His birth scared the leaders in the area so much that the state tried to persecute him. The coming of Jesus for Christians shows that the Creator actually took on flesh and became “one of us”. It wasn’t pristine and clean, but dirty and dangerous. The incarnation is a scandalous idea revealing the true character of God who comes among a persecuted minority on the fringe of society in solidarity with refugees, immigrants, and outcasts. As theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez puts it, “There, on the fringe of society, the Word became history, contingency, solidarity, and weakness”. This newborn baby for Christians is the fulfillment and climax of God’s story of rescue and reconciliation for the world. The New Testament tells us that through this peasant baby, the Kingdom of God, which is God’s sovereign reign of peace and justice, will be fully unleashed. Many people sadly believe that the meaning of Christmas is about receiving presents and gifts. Much of the American church itself even takes part in this lie, being enslaved to the god of consumerism. But if we look back to the real meaning of Christmas, we see that it’s about the exciting news that God has come to us through Jesus.

It’s pretty easy to see the beauty that exists in the world. But it’s also easy, if not overwhelming, to see, that the world isn’t exactly operating the way it should be.  Just a couple of days ago I returned from El Salvador after being on a DePaul service immersion trip for ten days. Immediately upon my arrival there, I was astonished and in awe of the beauty of the landscape of El Salvador. Aside from the beautiful atmosphere and natural environment of El Salvador, the people were wonderful, too. I had an awesome time traveling across and exploring El Salvador, with many great experiences had. But I also got to witness some things that were tough to see. One day we got to see some of the devastating damage that the October floods did, which was absent from most Western news sources. I got to walk through a poor rural village that was hit hard by the floods and saw homes that were completely destroyed. Some families lost everything they owned. I also got to learn about the cataclysmic civil war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

Witnessing such evil is something that shook me up a lot. Growing up in a safe and comfortable suburb sheltered me from some of these kinds of evils that go on around the world. The experience was definitely a reality shock for me. Seeing all of the bad that goes on in the world makes it awfully tempting at times to sit back and lose hope. But the Advent season reminds me that this isn’t how everything is supposed to be, and that one day evil will be done away with forever. If I may make up a word, there is a kind of “in-betweeness” that exists in the Advent season. As Christians celebrate that Jesus was born into the world, we also wait for the final Advent when all will be made well.  The theological term for this hope and in-betweeness is called “eschatology”.

Christian eschatology is a powerful concept for me because amidst the sorrows and pains of the world, the floods, wars, and displaced families, there is deeply grounded hope. This hope doesn’t mean I sit back and do nothing since everything will be okay. Rather, it urges me to join and get lost in Jesus’ grand story. It is an invitation to work for the Kingdom of God and reassurance that my work isn’t in vain. As I reflect during this Advent season, I will ask myself what exactly is my role in this story. Where am I called to be a healing presence in the world, and what healing do I find myself in need of? At the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation, there is a beautiful passage that talks about the final renewal of all things, where all is made new and evil is finally done away with. This is the Advent hope I yearn and work for:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among humans.

He will dwell with them;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’