Advent means arrival. At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of God in human form. Certainly, this is worth celebrating. God is not just out there somewhere, but is here - wrapped in our skin and bone, among us. But I believe we do a disservice to the people we serve when we disconnect Christmas - the arrival of Christ - to the purpose of is arrival - the cross.
Long ago we had lived with God - in the cool of the garden - walking, talking as friends. But our original parents thought that there was life outside of life with God, and it was this seeking that welcomed death. Fracturing relationship between God and man, husband and wife, and all of creation. But even there hiding in the reality of chosen death, God promised to crush the head of the serpent - to bring life and light once more. This is what we remember and celebrate during Advent and Christmas - that there is no plan b, that the redemption of God’s people by the perfect life, death, and resurrection of His Son was always the plan. So we celebrate not just Christ’s coming - although this is a reality so significant it has split time into two halves - we remember the reason for His arrival.
We are people who live between two Advents - Christ’s first coming, and His second coming. When we link Advent to Easter we do not minimize our Advent celebrations but magnify the reality of the beauty of the whole story of redemption.