"O come, O come, Emmanuel... Shall come to thee, oh Israel."
- Words from the Hymn "O come, O come, Emmanuel."
Christians from far and wide are celebrating the new year, the new liturgical year that is along the joyous days that approaching. Today we celebrate the beginning of Advent and the expectant preparation of the coming of our good lord Jesus Christ. Advent is a time of great joy, expectation, and waiting. As we count down the days to Christmas and his birth.
The reason why I am writing in a blue color is because this is what the color of the vestments and coverings are in today's church (either that or purple). I'm much more aligned to blue because I've seen it so much more. There is a much more growing movement within the Methodist Church that says: Why use purple, that's for lent... Let's go with blue to talk about the happiness of the year.
It says in Isaiah 9:6 - "And shall be named... the Prince of Peace." Jesus was called so many things: Wonderful Counselor, The Almighty Father, The Prince of Peace, Immanuel... So many different names. Advent also lights the 4 candles on the advent wreath and the final white candle at Christmas.
The meaning of the wreath is this:
The Wreath:
The wreath itself means "victory" as Christ's victory over sin so He
can save us. The Advent Wreath has 4 or 5 candles that are arranged in a
circle symbolizing Christ's eternity, as a circle has no beginning and has no end, it is a symbol for God, Who is eternal and thus without beginning or end. The evergreens mean He is "ever with us," they are usually pine branches or holly that are used as a base that represents anticipation, newness, renewal and His everlastingness. The red berries of the holly represent the shedding of Christ's blood.
The 4 candles represent the following: Hope, Preparation, Joy, and Love. Today we light the Candle of Hope for we know this is his promise of hopes and dreams a better future and tomorrow.
"We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises He made to us. Our hope comes from God." - (Romans 15:12-13)
All faiths will celebrate in so many ways. We sing christmas carols and joyous hymns and hear festive sermons that talk about the prophecies of his coming. This is a festive and JOYOUS time for each and every one of us.
As we light the candle of hope today, remember, there is hope for each and everyone of us out there, Christians, Jews, Muslims, whatever faith you may be...
Today, we begin the season of Advent and we all have the hope with the new year on its way.
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