What is Advent and How Does it Relate to Your Finances?

Each year our advisors love to collaborate on a group blog post around Advent/Christmas time and address what a specific topic means to us.

This year we chose, “What is Advent and how does it relate to your finances?”

Read on below to hear from each of our advisors on how the Holy Spirit is working, and has worked, in our lives this time of year.

Brien

As December rolls around this year, I'm struck by the truth: Advent reminds us seasonally of what Christ calls us to eternally.

Advent is not only a time to prepare my heart to celebrate our Lord’s birth on Christmas, but a time to reflect on my life and recalibrate it as I wait for him to arrive again. Our culture in general (as well as the chaotic preparations for Christmas!) tempts me to spend and stockpile more. Yet Advent gently resets my focus.

Matthew 6:19-21 says:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

These verses remind me that Christ's economics stand in stark contrast to the world around me. When I read Jesus’ words about not worrying and stockpiling stuff that just collects dust in the end, it makes me evaluate what my relationship with money has been like over the past year. What did I “invest” in? How have I handled the provision God has blessed me with? 

Advent gently nudges me back to Christ’s calling—that I’m to be investing in areas that truly matter. That true wealth means investing in the people, ministries, and causes that will pay dividends for all eternity.

The world’s economy preys on a scarcity mentality. Yet Jesus came to show a better way—one of astonishing abundance through sacrificial giving. May this Advent season be a reminder of the countless ways Christ has blessed you. And, in doing so, may your focus gently shift away from the provision and back to the Provider for the year ahead! 

Neil

Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which means "arrival.” As Christians, the 24 or so days leading up to Christmas are to be spent preparing our hearts for the arrival of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

When I was growing up, I went to a Christian school. I remember receiving an Advent calendar in religion class in the 3rd grade. This calendar had a space for each day from December 1st to December 25th, but, instead of chocolate or a small toy as most Advent calendars have today, there was a space to put a quarter each day and a space to put a $1 bill on Christmas Day.

It was then to be put into the offering basket at church on Christmas Day. Back in 1981, a quarter was a lot of money for me, as an 8-year-old child that received $3 a week as an allowance. This required sacrificial giving, giving away more than half of my allowance.

At that time, I spent most of my allowance playing a video game after school called Pac-Man at the luncheonette next door to the school. The cost to play one game was 25 cents.  I decided then that I would give up playing that game from December 1st-25th so that I could give that money to our church.

Thinking back on that experience has led me to realize that Advent should be a season of preparing our hearts for the arrival of salvation in the person of Jesus.  Jesus sacrificed all:

 “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:28

This Advent, I will increase my giving and strive to intentionally look for ways to serve others every day.

Kaysi

As we are in a season of waiting and preparing our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, how can we align what we do in this season in our hearts and finances? 

I read a beautiful reminder of Christmas earlier as we are creating memories that we don’t need to do it all in one season. That it can be a cumulative creation of memories over the years - without running ourselves into exhaustion. And, if we do less, we may have more to share with others.

Are we tempted to go out and spend an exorbitant amount to buy gifts? Is this necessary? Or can we buy more meaningful gifts? Have we considered the less fortunate? For those of us living in the United States, we just have to look around to see just how much we have. But, there are others who are both near and far who do not have as much as we do—how can we share the gift of Jesus and give tangible gifts to those who are in need? 

Matthew 25:40 (NIV) states:

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

This statement follows when those unknowingly fed, provided drink, invited in, clothed and visited those who were in need—and Jesus called them “brothers and sisters.” 

As we are in the midst of celebrating Advent, will we take a moment to take a look at those in our neighborhood (near and far) who are in need—and provide for them in a practical way?

Ben

When I think of Advent, one of the things I anticipate is the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of someone who was greater than any person who had ever walked the face of the earth—not just greater in power or influence, but greater in every way. All the way back in Isaiah 9:6b, in a prophecy about Jesus, he is described as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  

What’s even more amazing is that despite being greater in every way, Jesus gave up his life for you and for me.

John 1:29b says:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

In short, Jesus’s arrival was not just an important event in history, but something that conquered death and created a way for us to be reconciled to God—it changed everything.

Not only did the life and death of Jesus change everything at that time, but it still does today and this includes how we use and view our finances. If we have a mindset that life is temporal and that there isn’t greater meaning beyond this world, then our financial decisions are more likely to be shortsighted and impulsive.

But if we live with the understanding that we are children of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, who gave up his life for us, then we’ll view our finances as an opportunity to make the name great of the one who we celebrate this Advent season.

Chris 

During this season of Advent I have been considering how the Israelites in the Old Testament were waiting for 400 years to hear from the Lord. This is what is commonly remembered in the season of Advent. That God’s people were waiting for the promised Messiah, and how we continue to await his return. 

In this period of waiting our God did not change. Just because God’s people had not seen the Messiah, his miraculous works, and his salvation, did not mean that God was not faithful to his promises. God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore even when our circumstances change (or in this case that they didn’t change for 400 years). 

And there will likely be times in our lives when we are waiting on the Lord and wondering if God is faithful to his promises. “God says that he cares for me like he cares for the lilies of the field or like he cares for the sparrows, but circumstantially I’m questioning it.” As we take this time to look back and see that even in waiting for hundreds of years the Lord was still working for the good of his people, we can then look at our current circumstances and remember that he’s faithful to his promises. 

Financially, you may be in a place where cash flow is hard, where inflation pushes your budget to the point of breaking, or where debt seems overwhelming. We can be content (opposed to anxious) in our circumstances because God has been faithful in the past, and as he promised to take care of the lilies and sparrows in Matthew 6, he will be faithful to that promise as well.

Donovan

In this season of life, Advent has been a point of “remembrance” for me. We all are, or have been through, the chaotic season of life where it seems you can’t get caught up or things never seem to slow down. Our family just had our fourth kiddo this year and we also happened to buy a business a little over a month ago. Each day is a blur.

With that being said, Scripture reminds us how forgetful God’s people were, and we’re no different.

In Deuteronomy 8:11-20 we see the Israelites warned to not forget God, and His ways, after He brought them out of Egypt where they were oppressed.

In Judges 2:11-13 we see the Israelities forget about God and His goodness after being freed for some time.

Advent, a time of expectant waiting and preparation, has served as a time of reflection for all that God has done for me, including the gift of Christ. Christmas season is easily a time to get wrapped up in materialism so the timing couldn’t be better.

However, if we lean into the gift of Advent then we can spend some meaningful time focusing on gratitude. Thankfully we get an Advent season each year so it's a great opportunity to reorient ourselves and walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

When it comes to personal finance, gratitude is essential to be great stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Without these things, we’ll undoubtedly squander away valuable opportunities to become more like Christ not only for our personal faith journey but for those directly around us.

Gratitude, coupled with contentment, bears a great opportunity for generosity to overflow from our lives. This isn’t to mention that those effectively building wealth over time tend to thrive with being grateful and content.

I know it probably feels hard for many, and maybe you too, to be content and generous the last few years as inflation has significantly increased. I don’t discount your feelings or situations.

This time of year I’m reminded of Paul’s wisdom in Philippians 4:11-13:

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”‬‬

And in 1 Timothy 6:6-8:

“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

Your personal finances aren’t a scorecard and they surely aren’t a measure of your worth and value. Christ came, and died, to show us just how valuable we are to the Father.

We hope this has been a refreshing article on the Advent season and how our personal finances overlap with it. We challenge you this Advent season to spend some time in stillness reflecting on what the birth of Christ means for you and what you have to be grateful for. As we close out 2023 and head into 2024 please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our advisors should you need assistance.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Your friends at the Christian Financial Advisors Network