This one is a little neater than mine turned out, after all, I had a little help from my seven year old, but the effect is the same - three purple candles, one pink, and one white in the middle of a circle of evergreen.
On the first Sunday of advent you light the purple "Hope" candle. This past Sunday night our family took some time to sit in a darkened room, by the light of our Hope candle and reflect on the reason that Jesus came. We took some time to read through some verses of Scripture pertaining to the hope we have in Jesus and we reflected on the sin in each of our lives. It was a time for asking forgiveness, for focusing on others, and for hoping for our Savior. The verse associated with this candle is Isaiah 60:2-3.
Next Sunday, we will light two purple candles - one for Hope and the other for Peace. Mark 1:4 is one of the verses that we will read as we reflect on our Prince of Peace. This is the week we will set up our nativity scene as well.
The following week the Joy candle is added to the other two. Isaiah 35:10 is the focus verse for this week. We will also use our devotion time on this Sunday to talk about the origins of some other Christmas symbols, such as carols, candy canes, and Christmas trees.
The Sunday before Christmas, we will light the pink Love candle and read Isaiah 9:6-7, as part of the Scripture reading. On this week we will read some of the prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold of the coming Savior and spend some time reflecting on the perfect love of our Heavenly Father. The love that caused Him to be willing to redeem fallen humanity at the price of His own beloved Son. There is no greater love than this.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, we will light the white Purity candle that sits in the middle. Our entire wreath will be aglow with light as we eagerly anticipate Christmas morning - the day that the true Light, wrapped in human flesh, entered into our world, became one of us, and then sacrificed Himself for our sins. On that day, we will read the entire Christmas story and we will have a Birthday Party for Jesus - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our Savior and Redeemer!
As we enter this wondrous season, I pray that you will take the time to prepare yourselves and your family for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Search your hearts, ask forgiveness for any lingering sin in your life, and use this season of advent to renew your spirit and press on, fighting the good fight of faith until the day that Jesus returns again!
If you have young children, I highly recommend the book The Adventure of Christmas, by Lisa Whelchel for celebrating the advent season. You can purchase it at amazon. com.
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