“Lighting the Advent
wreath in our homes and churches enacts our faith in John’s testimony: ‘The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’ (Jn 1:5)”
(Gross, 41).
As was mentioned last week, there are symbols associated
with advent. Some of these come out of everyday things in the world around us
(like holly), and some are symbols we create. The Advent wreath is the latter.
Just this week I was speaking with somebody who had visited
a Disciples of Christ service on Sunday. Since this was not the norm for their
tradition, they asked me about the meaning behind the wreath and the candles.
The wreath, much like the Christmas tree, comes from an
evergreen plant which symbolizes life (even in the midst of surrounding death).
As you know, wreaths are formed into a circle. We often see them hanging on
doors around the peep hole! For the Advent wreath, however, its circular shape
represents eternity.
Okay, these two were pretty simple. What about the candles?
You’ll notice in the picture that there are 3 royal blue or
purple candles, 1 pink candle, and 1 white candle in the center of the wreath.
You may even notice that the purple and pink candles form the shape of a cross.
The meaning of the cross in this instance is obvious. The colors represent the
theme or focus of each week of advent and is lit on its respective week. On
this blog, these themes are displayed each Thursday in the artwork that Lauren
creates.
Week 1 – Hope
Week 2 – Love
Week 3 – Joy
Week 4 – Peace
Each of the purple candles symbolizes royalty and penitence,
while the pink candle is designated for the third week, “Joy.” The white candle
in the center of the wreath is lit last, on Christmas Eve, and signifies Christ
and the coming of light into the world.
As we focus on the coming of Christ this season, may the
tradition of the Advent wreath be rich in meaning. Truly, “the light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it!”
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