Two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, we received the most important gift we could ever receive.
God the Father showed his LOVE for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to show us the way back to living in His Heavenly Kingdom now and forever.
The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, became INCARNATE. He took on a human nature (a human body and a human soul) when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin MARY. He became truly man, yet remained truly God. He was and is 100 percent God and 100 percent human.
Every year, many of us prepare our hearts to remember this First Christmas Story….to receive Christ’s coming from about December 1-25. This season is called Advent.
Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning “coming.” The Greek word for Advent is Parousia which means “presence”. Here are several ways to experience “the coming presence” of Christ:
Before the first Christmas, the saints in the Old Testament times waited for the coming of Christ (the Anointed One) with great expectation.
We experience the coming of Christ into our hearts as we BELIEVE and RECEIVE God willingly into all parts of our lives.
We experience the Presence and Empowerment of Christ when we hear and obey His WORD and teaching and receive Him in the EUCHARIST (Holy Communion) with God’s family,
We look forward to the SECOND and final coming of the resurrected Jesus, in person, to gather His saints as promised in His Word (Parousia).
The Advent Wreath and Candles (first started in about the 16th century) help us to remember some very important points about our faith.
The green wreath symbolizes the promise of eternal life through Christ.
The four candles represent the four Sundays in Advent.
The royal color purple helps us to remember that God is restoring us and preparing us to experience life in His Kingdom even now as we await His Final Coming with Hope, Peace, Joy and His LOVE.
The pink candle reminds us of the joy of anticipation experienced with the arrival of the Christ child that first Christmas. We experience the same JOY that John the Baptist felt when he leapt in his mother’s womb, as we yield more and more to God’s reign in our lives.
A fifth candle, generally white and placed in the center of the wreath is the Christ candle and is lit on Christmas Eve in honor of His birth, and His reign in our lives
Advent can be a wonderful time of experiencing the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love of that First Christmas as we recognize that true gift of Jesus as Immanuel, God with us, and as we live and share God’s love and kindness with others this Christmas.
Create your own Family Advent Wreath and Candles for your family.
Download and color the Advent Wreath and candles here:
PRAYER for GOD'S BLESSING ON THE WREATH
O God, by whose word all things are made holy; we offer to you this Advent Wreath which we ask you to bless; help us to use it to prepare our hearts for the great Coming of your Son, and help us to receive Him into our hearts with joy; through the same Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We invite you to gather for Advent devotions at least once a week at Church and with friends or family. Light the candle or candles for the week.
Read God’s Word from your Bible and the Prayer for each week.
Share what touches your heart from the readings and prayers. Pray for one another as the Lord leads you.
Extinguish the candle(s) as you carry His light in your hearts throughout the day.
Here are the readings for the
First Sunday in Advent: The Candle of HOPE
Week of December 1, 2024
Read: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36.
The Coming of the Son of Man
25 "There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.
26 People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses
27 Then the Son of Man WILL appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.
28 When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near!
The Need to Watch
34 “Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you.
35 like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth.
36 BE ON WATCH AND PRAY always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man!
Ponder in your mind and heart:
Jesus promised that he will come again to bring us to His Heavenly Kingdom forever. This gives us such HOPE
Jesus us tells us in his WORD that we must be watching and be prepared for his return by making him #1 in our lives: Loving him and loving others with all our hearts!
Remember to keep the picture of Jesus coming on the clouds with the angels in your mind and heart.
Jesus promises that he will always be with us to teach, strengthen and help us through the hard times so we can learn and grow to be all he created us to be.
He wants us to look forward to standing before him when he returns.
December 1 is the first day of Advent and we have started the countdown to celebrate Christmas.
Today, we light the first candle of Advent. We call it the candle of HOPE
Reflection: There are many things that people will do to get ready for Christmas, How will you share God's LOVE and message of HOPE with others each day this ADVENT?
Let’s pray: Almighty God, we love this season of Advent. We love the preparation for the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are filled with HOPE knowing that he is coming again. Help us to be prepared for His final coming in the Parousia! Help us to share this HOPE-filled vision with others. In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, AMEN
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