The four Sundays before Christmas Eve that comprise Advent remind us that we are a people of hope — a hope we share in Christ at his birth, and a hope we anticipate when Christ returns.

The birth of Christ leads to the cross, and the second coming out of the resurrection.

Advent means coming, and it is his first and second coming that we celebrate this season.

The first two Sundays of Advent emphasize the second coming of Jesus and the need to prepare for his return. During these two weeks, we ask God to search our hearts, to test us and know our anxious thoughts; and to see if there are hurtful ways we have toward others. We prepare for this Christmas season by repenting our sins and turning back to the Lord.

The third Sunday brings a change in the wind: We rejoice! As the first two Sundays call us to watchfulness, righteousness and repentance, an echo of joy rings true in the third Sunday, reminding us that deeply satisfying joy is in Christ alone.

The joy of repentance sounds like a contradiction. In our feel-good society, joy equals pleasure. Christmas is a joyful time of the year, not because of brightly colored lights or carols. The incarnation is what we anticipate.

The fourth Sunday of Advent shifts our gaze from the horizon of Christ's second coming to his first coming. I can only imagine as Mary drew near to giving birth; the anticipation and at times impatience she may have felt, heavy and exhausted by her pregnancy. Yet, with great patience like other women before and after her, she patiently waits for the time divinely appointed by God. On the fourth Sunday, we patiently await the appointed time of the incarnation.

Paul writes, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead."

We are a resurrection people and have a hope the world desperately needs. Advent and the Christmas season would be a hopeless fantasy without the death and resurrection of our Lord. In our consumer-driven society, Advent helps us to see beyond ourselves and to know we are called to love God and to love our neighbor. In Advent, we are forced to slow down the frantic pace common to many of us during the Christmas season. We struggle through the crowds and traffic at the malls; gatherings with family and friends can exhaust us before Christmas has even arrived.

If we can approach Advent in a spirit of watchfulness, repentance, joy and hopeful patience, Christmas can be rescued from the commercialism of this age.

Jonathan A. Wong, who attends Christ Lutheran Church in Mililani, is an adjunct faculty with Bible Institute of Hawaii and Pacific Rim Bible College teaching courses on worship. Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.