Advent

Advent candles have been a part of the church for hundreds of years. The exact history of this event is not very clear, but it appears that this practice developed to encourage the church to think about the excellencies of Christ’s first Advent. Usually there are four Sunday’s in December prior to Christmas thus four candles are used as object lessons of significant truth and the fifth candle is lit on Christmas day.

Though this December there are only three Sunday’s we will still have a candle each Sunday and then light the final candle on the final day of the year Wednesday the 31st during our candlelight prayer and communion service. Please feel welcome to join us. Below is the theme and Scripture verses that we will be using this Christmas season.
May God bless you and grant you a truly Merry Christmas.




Advent Theme: The Angelic Announcements



1. Zechariah

Luke 1:16-17 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

2. Mary

Luke 1:30-33 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

3. Joseph

Matthew 1:20-21 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

4. Shepherds

Luke 2:10-11 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

5. Empty tomb

Matthew 28:5-7 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

Advent?

Advent

Some churches have a tradition of lighting Advent candles. Like a lot of traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation the ritual has lost most of its meaning. Most use this as a time to countdown to Christmas.

There are four Sundays in December prior to Christmas so usually four candles are used. A fifth candle is used sometime to designate either Christmas or Christmas Eve. Some people use blue candles. Most use purple candles to show the worth and value of Jesus since from ancient days purple was a color that signified worth. Many will notice that the third candle in sequence is usually a pink colored candle. The tradition of the pink candle is even more difficult to pin down.

Some think it was developed because a priest in the Roman church offered a rose on the third Sunday. Most now consider it as the candle of joy because of the anticipation of the advent is over the halfway point.

I debated whether to use Advent Candles at LABC. Can there be any meaningful value in this ritual? A pastor that uses an Advent Wreath offered me the following advice.

“I have used an advent wreath for 25 years in the church I serve. It has been a positive way to remind people of the importance of Christ's first advent or coming. Each year the 5 candles can have different meanings but they allow the church as a whole to review some aspect of Christ in a traditional way. This year we are reviewing the lineage of Jesus. The first candle is Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Judah and then on Christmas Eve Jesus. An appropriate scripture explaining the person is given. This event allows different people to partake in worship and think all week about the theme they are to represent.” L. Miller

Based on the aforementioned pastor’s recommendation and from the research that I have done on this subject I think it would be meaningful to begin a tradition at LABC that includes the use of Advent Candles. This year our theme will be consistent with the series I am preaching on Sunday mornings, The Birth of the Sovereign Savior. Each candle will remind us of the central truth behind the Old Testament prophecy in Matthews narrative of the birth of Jesus.

1. Sinless Savior: The Incarnation
"“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”" (Matthew 1:23, NKJV)

2. Shepherd Savior: The Good Shepherd
"‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”" (Matthew 2:6, NKJV)

3. Sovereign Savior: The Providence of God
"and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”" (Matthew 2:15, NKJV)

4. Sorrowful Savior: The Consequence of Sin
"Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”" (Matthew 2:17-18, NKJV)

5. Submissive Savior: The Despised Messiah
"And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”" (Matthew 2:23, NKJV)