The Christian church year doesn’t begin on New Year’s Day, as our secular calendar does, but begins on the first Sunday in Advent, which is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word Advent comes from the Latin verb advenire, which means “to come to,” so Advent means “an arrival, a coming to.” In Matthew 21:1-9, when Jesus arrives at Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, it is His “advent,” His “coming to” that city as her King. Once you have come to know the meaning of the word advent, you can understand why the first season of the ...