Advent Reflections #2

Well here we are just past the second Sunday of Advent, and I wanted again to share what I shared at church yesterday concerning Advent. I thought about giving this post the subtitle; "And the beat goes on". Here is why.

First a little background for the "atmosphere". Imagine yourself seated in the service and you look at the Advent wreath, which consists of an evergreen wreath and four candles three purple and one pink, and now the first and then the second Advent Candles,(both purple),have been lit. You now say to yourself; "you know, I used to know what all this stuff was about but now after all these years I can't quite remember what it all is." We have just read the scriptures for today according to the Revised Common Lectionary,(RCL): Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1:68-79, Philippians 1:3-11 and the Gospel lesson Luke 3:1-6; (I encourage you to look these up),

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.


'EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;


AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.' "

Now I stand up and say; "to start out today I want to talk about the meaning of this symbol of the advent wreath specifically the candles." Advent has been called "Lent with sugar on top", because like the Season of Lent, which actually is a season of brooding almost oppressive in nature as we consider our sin before the Lord and our participation in the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior. The liturgical churches mark Lent with the 40 days of introspection, confession, repentance and of course fasting.

(Most other denominational churches and independents don't even notice the "bump in the road". Yet they are the one's who raise the most fuss about how commercialized the holiday is and want to sell us "Jesus is the Reason for the Season", buttons, bumperstickers, etc,etc. blah, blah, blah)

Well as a matter of fact Advent is to be also marked by introspection, reflection, confession, repentance and also fasting. However Advent is looking for the promise to be fulfilled so is not as "heavy". We mark this passing of time with the lighting of the candles. We light the two purple candles to mark the time of reflection, examination and fasting. The third candle is the pink one and is known as the "candle of Joy", because it marks the end of the fasting, not the examination, watching and preparing.

Much like the Life of John the Baptist,(who the Scripture trail is about by the way), whose life was given to pointing to the coming Savior, is what Advent is all about.

Watching, waiting anticipating.

John the Baptist from the time that he was an infant in his mother's womb until his unusual death spent his life leading and guiding those who would come to him to the Savior. Remember it was John who said; "He must increase and I must decrease", John3:30. Essentially John's message was one of encouraging the seekers of the day, to not stop looking, don't stop looking for Him, don't stop preparing. The Kingdom is near! The Lord is coming! Now we look back at the Advent wreath with it's two candles burning encouraging us in it's own way to not stop, keep going, keep looking for Him, keep watching don't stop. That is what Advent is all about.