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The brass bells on his staff signaled the man’s arrival.
The crunching sound his feet – clad in Scandinavian-style blue and white sock boots – made on the hard snow accompanied the tinkling of the bells.
As the man made his way up the walk, the wind whipped the dark blue cape around his long robe, which matched the color of the snow beneath the man’s feet as well as his long hair and beard.
He rapped loudly one night last week upon the door of a Searsport restaurant, then burst across its threshold to announce, “Glory to God in the highest. I am Brother Advent, and I’ve been traveling the world telling people about Advent.”
Brother Advent is not yet a character associated with the season in which one of the main characters wears a red suit and the other wears swaddling clothes. This brother is the creation of the Rev. Joel Krueger, co-pastor of First Church in Belfast.
“I created him four years ago at a church I pastored in Wisconsin to teach the children about Advent,” Krueger said on Dec. 9 as he put Brother Advent’s white beard over his own brown one. “I wanted to teach the children about Advent but in a humorous way. With his white hair and beard, Brother Advent is meant to be akin to Santa Claus.”
Brother Advent last weekend appeared at Abbracci Trattoria & Espresso Bar as part of Sears-port’s Victorian Christmas celebration. It was the first time the minister had taken Brother Advent outside a church setting.
Krueger, 47, and his wife, Kate Winters, 50, were hired two years ago as co-pastors of the Belfast church. The pair, both graduates of Bangor Theological Seminary, wanted to return to Maine after co-pastoring a United Church of Christ church in Osseo, Wis.
Advent and how it is celebrated have changed since the days of early Christianity, according to the Rev. Cliff Guthrie, professor of homiletics at BTS.
“In the early church,” he said, “the main time [for adults] to get baptized was at Easter. The second-best time was at Christmas. Before you are baptized, you go through a time of preparation. At Easter that time was, and for many still is, Lent. The churches in Spain, France and elsewhere said that a similar time of preparation was needed before Christmas. That gradually developed into the formalization of Advent” by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century.
The weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ’s birth were observed as a time of fasting, prayer and penitence just as Lent is, Guthrie said. Purple, the color used during Lent, also was used during Advent until well in to the 20th century. Reforms over the past 50 years have included using a dark blue during Lent. Blue also is a color associated with Mary.
“Advent is the season that comes before Christmas,” Brother Advent told the small but crowded restaurant. “It is a time of preparation when we are awaiting the coming of the Messiah – the one who will deliver us from the darkness.”
Amid his brief explanation of Advent, Krueger led the group in singing Christmas carols. He told the story of the legendary King Wencelaus before leading the group in the carol named for him. Brother Advent also talked about his ancestry and his better-known cousin.
“I come from a long line of innkeepers,” he said. “After Jerusalem was destroyed during the great Diaspora, my ancestors went to Northern Europe, where
we learned how to prepare a place for others.
“Perhaps you know of my cousin, Saint Nicholas” Brother Advent said. “He was born in what is now Turkey. From birth he was a holy child. Some say that when he was born, he came
out of his mother’s womb, stood up and praised God.”
Krueger went on to explain how St. Nicholas evolved into the character American children recognize as Santa Claus. Brother Advent is not the only character the minister has portrayed. Krueger has brought Martin Luther, John Calvin and the prophets to life before his congregations.
During the remaining Sundays of Advent, the prophets Micah and Malachi will make appearances at First Church for the children’s sermons, short lessons aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 12 before they are dismissed from the worship service to attend Sunday school.
“We live in a visual culture,” Winters said of the decision to portray biblical and historical figures during traditional Congregational services. “We need to bring the visual into the church. It helps people relate to the message in a deeper way.”
Krueger added that Brother Advent helps children understand and reminds adults that the secular holiday season and the time period leading up to Christ’s birth are not the same.
“Advent is a time of preparation and refection,” he said. “A time to slow down.”
Advent fast facts
. Comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means arrival or coming.
. Traditionally begins fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve.
. Celebrated for centuries but was standardized by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century.
. Advent wreaths and calendars are the most popular symbols of the season.
. Earlier eras emphasized Advent as time of fasting and prayer.
. Christians in the Orthodox Church observe Advent for the 40 days before Christmas.
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