Today I feel motivated to address the season of Advent which Covenant Church has celebrated for the last 7-8 years. Let me begin today’s message with a special thank you to Carl and Shirley Romey, who donated our current Advent wreath in memory of their parents – Eugene and Thelma Romey, and Ray Jean and Clara Ann Batts.
For today’s message, I will be presenting information I obtained last Advent season at St. Johns Episcopal Church in McLean, VA, where our daughter Shelli and her family attend. Let me begin with a brief history of Advent.
The season of Advent is celebrated by many Christians throughout the world. In 600 AD, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that all Christians would prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth by observing the four Sundays prior to December 25 with the symbolic lighting of candles. Three purple candles and one pink candle are arranged in a circle in an evergreen wreath with a large white candle in the center, and the symbolism of the wreath is rich. The circular form of the wreath reminds us that God has no beginning and no end. The evergreens in the wreath remind us that people who love God will live with God forever in eternal life. The color purple is symbolic of both penitence and royalty. The pink candle is the liturgical color for Joy!
Advent is the season of the Church year where we prepare to come close to the mystery of Christmas. We will light a new candle each week, and also light the candles from previous weeks. The order of lighting a new candle is as follows, along with a suggested prayer:
HOPE (purple) – “Almighty God, we give you thanks for the hope we have in Jesus. We pray for those who are finding life to be hard, that they may have hope.”
PEACE (purple) – “Almighty God, we give you thanks for the peace of Jesus. We pray for our leaders to seek peace, and we pray for all who are in turmoil.”
JOY (pink) – “Almighty God, we give you thanks for the joy we have in Jesus, who gladdens our hearts. We pray for those who experience sorrow.” [This candle represents the mid-point of Advent and rejoicing at the prospect of Jesus’ birth on Christmas].
LOVE (purple) – “Almighty God, we give you thanks for the love of Jesus. We pray for those we love, those who love us, and those who have not love.”
The white central candle is called the “Christ candle”, and represents the life of Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. The lighting of an additional candle each week during Advent gives an increasingly brighter glow which also reminds us of the way Jesus changed the darkness of the world into the light of Joy and Love.
I pray that you and your family may find true Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love this Christmas season!
Cindy and I will be gone the two Sundays after Thanksgiving to spend Thanksgiving with our children and grandchildren in the DC area. I will not be sending my weekly messages while we are gone.
May God continue to bless Covenant Church and all its members and friends!