Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is on its way. I’m not sure I’m ready for the hustle and bustle that the Christmas season brings, but I know that every Sunday, starting tomorrow, our family will slow down and remember the true reason we celebrate at Christmas time. Advent is one of my favorite traditions each holiday season.
Growing up, Advent was not part of our church service. We sang Christmas carols, listened to sermons about the wonderful birth of Jesus, but we never lit Advent candles. Life was definitely not as hectic when I was young. Christmas wasn’t as busy in South Texas, maybe that is why we didn’t observe the Advent Season. Our sweet pastor, that had been at our church for many many years, retired and a new pastor took his place. This new pastor brought new ideas to our church and the celebration of Advent was one of them. Advent takes place the four Sundays before Christmas. At our church a different family is chosen each week to read the scripture and light the candle that goes along with that week’s theme. It is a lovely part of the service that I look forward to each year. Fast forward to the days of the pandemic when we couldn’t go to church and celebrate, I decided to make a wreath at home and celebrate Advent with just my family.
That first Christmas at home without any church services was very sad, but a little wreath from Amazon really helped make the season special. I moved the candles around to different Nativity scenes each week and we read Bible verses and sang Christmas carols at home.
Advent was celebrated as far back as the Middle Ages. Christians used Advent as a part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.
The evergreen in Advent wreath stands for everlasting life, and the circle shape of the wreath represents that there is no end to God and your everlasting life in Christ.
Other things you can add to your Advent wreath include: Laurel for victory over persecution; Pine or Holly: which represents immortality; Cedar: which represents strength and healing; and Pinecones: representing life and resurrection.
This year, Advent runs from November 27 until December 24. We light one candle each Sunday and then we light a candle on Christmas Day to represent the Christ Child. Advent is basically a season of joyful preparation for the birth of Christ.
On the first Sunday of Advent we light the purple candle of Hope. This candle represents the light we find in dark places. Read Isaiah 40:3-5 to see how the birth of Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament. We read in verse 5 that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed! Years and years before Jesus was born, people were preparing for His birth. I encourage you to spend the first week of Advent preparing for the hope we find on Christmas Day!
On the second Sunday of Advent we light the candle of Peace. Another name for the Peace candle is the Bethlehem candle. It speaks to the trip that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem. I like to think that Christ’s birth was a peaceful event. With the animals in the stable quietly worshiping the baby. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that “for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
I like to spend the second week of Advent thanking God sending us the Prince of Peace. It is such a comfort during these unsettling times.
On the third Sunday of Advent we light the pink candle, the candle of Joy. Pink is the liturgical color for Joy. The pink candle is also known as the Shepherd’s candle. The angels brought good tidings of great joy to all people. The shepherds were the chosen ones that got to share the joyful news! Isaiah 40:9 tells us “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up”
On the fourth Sunday of Advent we light another purple candle to symbolize Love. After doing a lot of digging on why the Biblical scholars say that the fourth Advent candle stands for love, I could not find one definitive reason. They all point to verses all over the Bible that tell us of Christ’s love. My favorite was found in 1 John 4:19. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” Christ’s unconditional love for a world full of sinners is the reason we love him and celebrate his birth.
On Christmas Day we light the white candle, usually placed in the center of the wreath to symbolize the Christ child. Pure and innocent, this little baby was born to save a world of weary people from themselves. Jesus gave up his life to save us. This is the most important candle of all. Once the Christ child candle has been lit, we sing “Joy to the World! The Lord has come!” And then we celebrate, all day long!!!
My advent wreaths are fresh this year, usually I use an artificial wreath. Live wreaths are beautiful, but they dry out quickly. My beautiful boxwood wreath from Whole Foods, looks very crispy already and so I am hesitant to place candles too close. My magnolia leaf wreath is absolutely gorgeous. I found it at Harry and David. They ship very quickly, and the wreath arrived in perfect condition. I used a variety of candles this year, since I have more than one wreath. The large candles I used with the magnolia wreath came from a church supply store I found online. They weren’t very expensive, the only drawback I found was that they burn very fast. I like to burn my candles for awhile each Sunday during Advent, but I will have to replace these before Christmas arrives. I used Nest candles with the boxwood wreath. I thought it would be fun to have a fragrant wreath that reminded us of Advent as we go about our lives each Sunday. I made raffia bows for the boxwood wreath using what I learned on Instagram with The Polka Dot Poodle’s class Make It Cute 2022. I think you can still get a recording of the class through her site. She is very talented at gift wrapping. The gold crowns that the candles are sitting in come from The Junk Gypsy. I bought 3 sets of crowns to hold the candles; that way they are decorative and not too close to the wreath to protect from potential fires. The beaded ornaments came from Tuesday Morning. The small wreath is from Amazon, it is made of plastic, so much safer. I also bought the tapers from Amazon, they also burn very quickly. It may not be the most beautiful wreath, but it lasts very well from year to year.
I hope that you are able to celebrate Advent with your church family, but if not, I encourage you to make a wreath at home to help prepare you for the Christmas season. May God be with you this beautiful Advent season!