Advent 2014: A Preview Advent 2014 begins on the First Sunday in Advent, November 30, 2014. The past few years I have been highly disappointed that Advent is not celebrated in the community churches we have visited in our area. Because we were looking for a new church home after our move to a new city, I thought that one way to do so would be to visit a different church each of the Sundays of Advent. The major result of that exploration was to end up ill for most of the season (people seem to think it’s a badge of honour to go to church when they are ill—I’m a firm believer in ‘share your faith not your germs’!), through to the New Year. I actually asked a different neighbours if their church celebrated Advent. Sadly, most had no idea what I was talking about, and they referred to special Christmas programs (I went to a couple of those, too), music, and even how their churches were decorated. This year I believe that God has been impressing on my mind and heart to share some of the things I have been contemplating and learning about Advent and how celebrating it can develop a spiritual richness in us. This will not take the form of the daily meditations (the approach I used during the season of Lent 2014), but will include some Scripture verses, songs, and some reflections. I pray that as we take this journey together, we will draw closer to Him. May His light shine through us to illuminate the darkness (struggles, pain, errant ways) we encounter in ourselves and in others. What is Advent? The word Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus”, which means coming. Advent refers to the coming of Christ, which includes a celebration of Jesus’ birth, His First Coming, and to His Second Coming, for which we still wait. The season of Advent encompasses the four weeks before Christmas, during which time the focus is on preparing for the celebration of His birth and on spiritual renewal. The Meaning of the Advent Wreath The advent wreath, a circular arrangement of evergreen branches, typically holds five candles in the traditional colours of purple, pink, and white. During Advent one candle on the Advent wreath is lit each Sunday, with the final candle being lit on Christmas Day. Each of these candles symbolizes a characteristic of spiritual preparation for Christ’s birth: 1st Week of Advent: The Prophecy Candle or Candle of Hope (purple) is lit. 2nd Week of Advent: The Bethlehem Candle or The Candle of Preparation (purple) is lit. 3rd Week of Advent: The Shepherd Candle or The Candle of Joy (pink) is lit. 4th Week of Advent: The Angel Candle or The Candle of Love (purple) is lit. Christmas Day: The Christ Candle (white) is lit. As we celebrate Advent together, I invite you to share traditions, music, and so forth, which make this season meaningful to you. We need to go beyond complaining that Christmas is ‘too commercial’ to modeling what makes it meaningful. We need to challenge ourselves to go beyond slogans such as, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”, to demonstrating by our lives and attitudes that we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Many blessings upon each of us as we engage in this time of spiritual preparation. In keeping with the focus on the coming of the Lord, I found this video on Youtube, “Wait for the Lord”, which asks important questions: What are you waiting for? & explores a range of possibilities to help us clarify our hopes and expectations. Taize: Wait for the Lord youtube/watch?v=fTWh3RfdRlM&list=PLYo0NzeSeTi-CVzjlf795ZaKtgeRc3m7_
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 15:41:56 +0000
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