We Begin the Advent Season

I've seen advent wreaths in church but never really understood them. This year I decided to find out more.

The 4 candles represent the 4 weeks until Christmas, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I also read it may represent the 400 years of waiting between the last time God speaks to his people in the book of Malachi and the birth of Jesus, beginning the New Testament. There's usually 3 purple candles and 1 pink, with a white candle in the center, although I find that isn't always the case, but it's the most popular display. Each Sunday of Advent one candle is lit.

The first candle celebrates HOPE. Hope of a savior, bringing light into a dark world, and our being that light of hope for others, especially this time of year when many are alone and burdened.

The second candle represents PEACE. It's lit as we remember that we were promised a savior 400 years earlier, and we have peace through him. It's a peace we find no where else, especially in the midst of life's storms.

The third candle is the pink JOY candle. It's a reminder of the joy the birth of Jesus brought, the joy of his message that we can be saved from an eternity of despair, that God made a way for us to be forgiven so we can live forever with him in Heaven instead of separated from Him because of our sins.

The fourth candle, called the LOVE candle, is lit as a reminder of the love God showed by creating a sacrifice in our place, and for the love Jesus had in accepting to be that sacrifice so we can have eternal life.

On Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day, all 4 candles are lit along with the center's white candle representing Jesus. It's to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Note: During the 4 weeks, there are readings you can read together as a family every day, either gathered together in the morning, or in the evening, say at dinnertime. Those can be found online.

It's a great reminder to stay focused on the real meaning and message behind Christmas. It's great to give gifts to appreciate and love those we care about, but it shouldn't be about who got what and how much someone spent on us. We could never give a greater gift than Jesus gave, nor can we out-spend what God gave in sacrificing His only son, to watch him suffer and die while innocent. But now we can have eternal life through simply accepting this gift of Jesus, who died in our place, so that our sins are atoned, or paid for, and we can be re-made fit to live in the presence of God forever.

Merry Christmas Everyone.