Advent

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. What is Advent? I'm glad you asked. Advent refers to the "coming" or "arrival" of Jesus Christ. It is a time of preparation for Christmas, as we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus. Advent itself is a somewhat late addition to Church history and comes from the fourth century. It was added around the same time that the Church began to observe Christmas. The legth of time has varied, but as of the 10th century, the Church, at least in the western world, has seen fit to observe Advent on the four Sundays leading into Christmas and then concluding with Christmas Eve.

One of the beautiful traditions of Advent is the lighting of candles on the Advent Wreath. The purpose of the wreath is to deepen our understanding of Christmas. The circular shape of the wreath reminds us of God. Just as a circle has no beginning or end, God is eternal and is without beginning or end and His love and mercy have no end. The greenery of the wreath speaks to the hope we have in God, the hope of newness and renewal, and the hope of eternal life.

The candles in the wreath signify God's Son as the light of the world. And the light of those candles remind us of how Jesus came into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope. The candles are also a reminder to us that we are called to reflect Christ's light to others.

The four outer candles on the wreath represent the period of waiting during the four weeks of Advent. They also symbolize the four centuries between the life of the prophet Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and the birth of Jesus.

The candle in the center is the Christ candle. The location of that candle reminds us of the central focus that Christ should have in our hearts and lives.

Each week we will celebrate Advent by having a family from our church come forward to light one of the candles on the wreath. They will also share with us a little bit what each candle represents. The first candle, that was lit last week, represents hope. The candle that we will be lighting this week represents peace. We will be lighting the outer candles each Sunday and then the center candle on Christmas Eve.

I hope you are able to join us for this special time of Advent. It is a great way to help us focus on what Christmas is all about. May you have a spendid Christmas season and may God continue to keep each one of us in focus on what Christmas is really about.