Advent for Four-Year Olds
A better answer to "What is Advent, Daddy?"
If you’re a newbie to the Christian calendar or the season of Advent in particular, you may be wondering, “Why has my inbox been flooded with Advent emails from all my Substack subscriptions? What is Advent anyway?”
That’s the question my four-year old son asked me this morning as we began our daily advent readings.
Now, I don’t have a degree in early childhood development. My degrees are in theology and philosophy. So perhaps you’ll forgive me for waxing eloquent to my son about how “Advent” derives from the Latin word “adventus”, which means coming. About how we are waiting for Jesus’ arrival on Christmas and longing for his return at the end of history.
After I gave him an answer that would have impressed my seminary professors, he shrugged and said, “Oh.” No questions. No follow up. That’s when I knew I had lost him. (I know, know. I lost him at “adventus”.)
I would have done better to help him understand not just the content of Advent, but the feeling. To put it in the language of his heart.
As I started to describe how Advent might feel to a four-year old, I realized this was valuable for my very adult and sometimes overly-intellectualized faith as well.
So here is my best attempt. If you’re new to Advent, I hope it helps you catch the feeling of the season. If you’re an Advent veteran, and you only dress in purple until the Christ Candle is lit, my hope is that it will give you a fresh angle from which to behold the hope, longing and excitement of the season.
And if you have a kiddo at home, maybe it’ll help you describe the season in the language of their heart.
“What is Advent, Daddy?”
Advent is like when your eyes pop open early in the morning. It’s still dark outside, and your green light hasn’t turned on yet. You’re full of energy. Waiting, waiting, waiting for the light to burst into your room from the crack under the door.
Jesus is the light.
Advent is like seeing the presents under the Christmas tree that you can’t open quite yet. Advent is so clearly imagining your fingers ripping at the paper that they start to itch and move on their own, and you ask “Please, please, pleeeaaaase can I just open one?”
Jesus is the present.
Advent is like the afternoon when it’s getting dark at school, and you watch your friends leave one by one with their mommies and daddies. It’s feeling a little sad that Mommy isn’t there yet, but it’s also the way you check the door after every lego you lock in place because you just know she’ll be there soon.
Jesus is Mommy on her way to pick you up.
Advent is like when you’re feeling crummy, and you know you’re not supposed to feel so tired and stuffy and grouchy. But it feels like you’re going to be sick forever. Daddy keeps telling you that you’ll feel better soon, and you know it’s true even though you can’t imagine it.
Jesus is waking up with no more fever. Jesus is things the way they should be.
Advent is like going to bed on Christmas Eve. You don’t want to because you know that after the longest night ever there is French toast, and stockings, and presents, and music, and dancing, and family time, and playing with new toys and seeing Grandma and Grandad just waiting for you in the morning. And you’re too excited to sleep, but you need to rest and prepare for the joy of Christmas.
Jesus is Christmas Day.
