Advent Week 1: Remembering the Power of Hope
Source: KatarinaGondova / Getty
People all around the world celebrate Christmas Day on December 25 but in the days and weeks leading up to the holiday, many also recognize Advent season, a time to prepare for Christmas and remember the true reason for the season: honoring the birth of Christ and trying to embrace all that Jesus represents to believers.
Advent season is celebrated in a variety of ways but a common tradition is the lighting of an Advent Wreath, a circle of evergreen leaves and pinecones, adorned with four different colored candles. These four candles represent the four pillars of Advent (hope, peace, love, and joy), embodying the emotions felt on that first Christmas as they waited for the advent, or “coming” of Christ. On each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, a different candle on the wreath is lit and a scripture is read or recited that explains one of these themes and explores how they can be applied to life.
RELATED: Scriptures About Finding Courage In The Footsteps Of Faith
Sunday, December 1 was the first Sunday of the Advent season and is the time to light the first candle on the Advent wreath, the candle represents Hope. Each candle is a different color; the “hope” candle is purple (as are three others), a color that represents Christ’s royalty as well as repentance and fasting, ways to get into the right frame of mind and anticipate the arrival of Jesus, and the arrival of Christmas Day in addition to charity work and time spent with loved ones.
The “hope” candle is also referred to as the Prophecy Candle, as it represents the prophecy of a coming savior that Isaiah foretold in the Old Testament. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel,” Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) reads. The first week of Advent is a time to embody the hope the Israelites held onto while waiting for the Messiah to come. It’s a time to anticipate the coming changes the Christmas season will bring.
Hope is a reminder of the power and promise held in new beginnings. Hope is also what many hold onto as they’re waiting for those promises to be fulfilled, just as Mary, Joseph, and so many others waited for the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas Day. Advent is the countdown to Christmas and the first day is the perfect to meditate on what you’re hoping for and remember how God answered hopes and prayers of those who came before us.
DON’T MISS…
New Christmas Music Releases to Look Forward to This Holiday Season
