With all the excitement about Christmas and December 25th, we often forget about Advent season. We are trying not to overlook the Christ of Christmas in our house. We want to take time each Sunday to talk about Christ's arrival. However, as we weren't too prepared for this week, we had to make do with what we had - our purple candle was actually white with a purple pony-tail holder around it and we didn't have our full wreath out, but it worked.
Our church has even published a Family Advent Celebration booklet. It has verses, songs and explanations of each candle of the advent wreath. Today was the first day that we brought the family together to discuss advent - the time where we eagerly anticipate Christ's birth.
Today's candle was for hope. This hope is two-fold. The first hope was for those who were anticipating Christ's first arrival on earth - as a small child, born in the manger, 2000 years ago. Now, we hold on to the hope of Christ's return. This is not a hope of a little child hoping she gets a pony for her birthday, but a hope of expectation - we know it will happen, we just don't know when.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "
Matthew 1:1-3
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