At the front of almost every Lutheran church, for the four Sundays before Christmas you will see a wreath with five candles on it. Four around the outside of the wreath and a larger one in the middle of the wreath.
The four candles represent the themes of Advent which are hope, peace, joy and love, and one candle is lit each Sunday representing the theme of the day.
But why do we do this, and what is Advent all about?
Unlike the secular world, where the celebration of Christmas begins before Halloween and ends on Dec. 25, the Christmas season in the church doesn’t begin until Dec. 25, runs for 12 days and concludes on Epiphany, which is Jan. 6. This is the traditional date of the arrival of the wise men from the east in Bethlehem.
The time before Christmas, Advent, is to commemorate the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem as well as anticipate his second coming, sometime in the future. A time that we don’t know, but a time we wait for in excitement.
Advent is a time to slow down and reflect on the greatest gift ever given, and to take the time to share with family and friends the true meaning of Christmas, or the “Reason for the Season.”
Even Mary, and presumably Joseph, used the time before the birth to contemplate their situation and anticipate the birth of their first son.
In Luke 1:46-55, we hear Mary’s Magnificat, her song of anticipation and joy at the upcoming birth of Jesus. She says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
So, I encourage you all to slow down, and reflect on the joy of the birth of the Christ Child, and spend time renewing your faith and celebrate the season of Advent as we move toward Christmas day and when we too can say with the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
