Advent begins soon, and the liturgical year will start anew.  The word derives from the Latin adventus, meaning arrival or approach.  In the church year Advent offers a time to anticipate the coming of the Lord, and lectionary readings from the prophets are already looking toward this theme. 

The prophets warn us this coming is not a light matter:

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?  For his is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.  (Malachi 3.2 NRSV)

Fire purges impurities out of precious metals, and soap cleans away dirt.  The prophet later identifies idolatry, injustice and inadequate worship among the things to be removed at the Lord’s coming. 

Which explains why I usually walk through Advent in a schizophrenic haze.  The culture pushes colored lights and sugar cookies, but scripture tells me it’s about fire and soap.  I can’t reconcile the two approaches.