What could be more wonderful than lighting advent candles? This simple little act helps us to rise above our circumstances and experience the hope of Christmas.
The last Sunday of November will be the time for lighting the first candle of Advent and the flame will burn bright and beautiful on our living room coffee table this year. Where do you place your Advent Candles? It is truly a time we anticipate and enjoy at our house.
If you never had an advent wreath, you just might be missing out on one of the true joys of Christmas. This is a very easy tradition to learn and it adds so much to your weekly celebrations in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The tradition of the Advent wreath started way, way back in history. Some of the wreath's history started with the Germans who say they burned candles in greenery because their winters were so very cold and the warm candle light reminded them that the warmth of spring was coming and gave them hope of a better day. Hope is what keeps people going. Hope is how the wreath of candles started, and eventually it evolved from a small message of the hope of warmth and spring into the great message of the hope of Messiah.
The tradition today
is still about hope for a better day, but it has been refined to a much higher and more spiritual level as we hope and wait for the second coming of the Messiah. The second coming of Messiah as well as the first
coming of Messiah are celebrated by the lighting of the advent candles. We are hoping and we are waiting for a better
day. We are waiting on something more wonderful and new and fresh as spring.
We are waiting on a miracle that will change our lives completely, and
so we light the first candle in our waiting.
Of course for every good and Christian thing there is a counterpart from the enemy. Satan would love to desecrate all those things that we use to measure out sacred times and spaces. He doesn't want us to have those reminders of things that are sacred and cherished that draw us toward a Great God. He will twist and twist the truth into any shape or fashion that he can to turn you against anything at all that will draw you closer to Christ. He always likes for people to be reminded that the pagans had their traditions too. If you stop at that portion of the story, he will steal your advent joy away. Don't let him. For instance, in Scandinavia during the winter months the people lighted candles that were placed around a wheel and prayers were offered up to pagan gods of light to turn the wheel of the earth back toward the sun to lengthen the days and restore warmth. This was the practice, that is, until these people began to become Christians and worship the true God of Heaven and Earth. They realized their custom was wrong, and they began to change it to incorporate ways that would honor the true God. Many people stumble and get stuck on step one of this history, and the devil loves when that happens. He tries to keep them from getting to step two. It is their loss. When people turn and change, God is pleased. Now the advent wreaths in Scandinavia symbolize a totally different thing. They worship God, and I would say that is a very positive change indeed! The true light is shinning now and the advent wreath is lit for Christian reasons instead of pagan reasons. This is one way to win victory over the enemy. Change your focus and direct everything you do toward God. Light begins to appear.
God's people have always used candles to honor Him. It seems God Himself started this tradition with the instructions for how to build the Menorah for the Temple. Since that day His people have honored him with the lighting of the candles. Every Jewish family across the land will have two white candles adorning the table for the Sabbath and the woman of the house will light them and say a prayer for God's blessings on her family. Candle lighting has always held a very special place in the history of the life of true believers.
It was about the time of the middle ages that Christians saw the relation between the second coming of Christ as a King and the first coming of Christ as a child. They started using advent wreaths as a symbol of hope while waiting on Christmas to come. They recognized Christ as the true light of the world with their wreaths. Both Catholics and Lutherans have made this a central practice in their homes all across the land. Many others have joined them in painting the beautiful story with candles and a wreath. The longer you look at life in the kingdom, the more beauty you will find in the different arts of worship that people use to honor God. It is truly amazing to observe.
How does God feel about beauty? Have you ever looked at a sunrise? The advent wreath is yet another one of those lovely art forms.
The symbolism today is so telling of the Christian story. The green symbolizes everlasting life. The prickly leaves of holly remind us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore on the cross. The circle of the wreath has no beginning or end and it symbolizes the infinity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life that Christ has given us. Pine cones and nuts on the wreath symbolize resurrection and new life, because of the seeds found inside of them.
There are four candles on the outside of the wreath and one is lit each week. Each candle represents one thousand years, four thousand years all together from the birth of Adam until the birth of the Messiah. Three of the outside candles are purple and one is rose. The purple represents prayer, penance and sacrifice. These are all things that we must be doing to get prepared. The rose candle is lit on the third week and it represents joy. By the time of the rose candle's lighting the people have arrived at the midpoint of advent. The preparations are half over and their joy should be overflowing. The progressive lighting of the candles represents the anticipation and hope in the first coming and the anticipation and hope for the Second Coming and the return of Christ again. Both things speak of His coming to us and saving us from a world of darkness. We are all waiting together and constantly anticipating the light that only He can bring.
There is much about the art of waiting in the lighting of the candles. Life seems to be as much about the journey as the arriving sometimes. Often what matters in the end is what we do in-between destinations. This is where we must live out the lighting of the candles on the wreath. This is where we must live in the day to day events of our lives.
On Christmas Eve we light a larger white candle and place it in the middle. This is symbolic of Christ. It speaks of how He is the Light of The World. It speaks of how He should always be living in the middle of our world. It speaks of how He is our center and compass for finding the answers to life. It announces Christmas and a time of blessing. It says: The waiting is over! He is here! The whole world has been waiting and He has now arrived! We welcome the light in the center of the wreath and we welcome Christ into our homes to be the center of Christmas and the focus of all our adoration.
Most people light their advent wreath each week before dinner and a traditional prayer is said. The prayers from The Catholic Church are beautiful and compelling to use at this time. If you have never read them, please find a copy and study them. They will stir your heart. There are a wide variety of advent messages and devotionals to chose from.
It is okay to light the candles at any time or place you wish. It is the idea of honoring God and His gift of Christ that is the important thing to remember. I’ve known families to gather around the fireplace and light their candles on a coffee table as they share family devotions together. Many churches throughout the land light the advent wreath in the services leading up to Christmas.
As we take the time to prepare our hearts by lighting the candles of the advent wreath God gives us the blessing of helping us to prepare our hearts for His Second Coming. Even this minute – we are waiting and watching the skies with hope. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
May your time of Advent be full of God’s greatest blessings and may you find the Real Meaning of Christmas hiding in all that you do this season.
