INTRODUCTION
\nAdvent is a word that means \u201ccoming\u201d or \u201carrival.\u201d It is a four-week period in which the church remembers the promises of Jesus\u2019 first coming, and looks forward to his promise to come again. Just as John the Baptist told the Jewish people to \u201cprepare\u201d for the Lord\u2019s coming, we need to encourage each other to be ready for his coming again.
\nThe Christian Church has observed a Christmas season since the 4th century. There was always a period of preparation before Christmas Day, which varied from between 3 to 7 weeks. In the 10th century the 4-week pattern was finally settled (so we\u2019ve only been doing this for a millennium!). European Christians used greenery and candles to enhance the season, and that practice has caught on in the United States and around the world in recent years.
\nThe Advent wreath itself is a tradition that is centuries old. A candle is lit during and for each week until Christmas Eve when all 5 candles are lit. Three of the candles are purple, which is a penitential color, i.e. a symbol of self-examination and preparation. They remind us that, just as the prophets and John the Baptist called Israel to \u201cget ready for the Lord,\u201d we need to be doing the same thing! The pink candle for the fourth week of Advent signals a transition to the white candle, the \u201cChrist candle,\u201d which is lit on Christmas Eve. This reminds us that it is not all \u201cpreparation\u201d \u2013 he really came, and will really come again.<\/p>\n
Seasons such as Advent\/Christmas and Holy Week\/Easter are wonderful opportunities to re- kindle or begin a devotional life. Our hope is that Advent will be a time of renewal for you.<\/p>\n