Today is the first day of the season of Advent. Advent is the four Sundays (and subsequent weekdays) leading up to Christmas Eve. Advent can begin in November, or, like this year, it can conveniently align with the beginning of December. This year, we have 24 days of preparation. 24 days to set our hearts and minds on the Lord. Let us join together this season and turn our lives toward the risen Lord.

Many churches have advent wreaths that are placed on their altars or somewhere in the worship space. Traditionally, the wreath will contain five total candles. There will be three purple or blue candles and one pink candle located on the wreath itself and one, taller, white candle in the middle symbolizing Christ. There are many homes that also choose to have an advent wreath on display during this season as well. If you would like to participate with an advent wreath but do not have one, that’s ok. Feel free to light any candles you choose. The colors, sizes and shapes are not important. The symbolism of bringing the light of Jesus to a lost and dark world is what is important.

On the first Sunday of Advent, we light the first candle……. the candle of Hope. Join me now in a liturgical reading. You may read this out loud or, if you are alone, you may read and meditate on these scriptures. There is also a prayer included, but do not feel obligated to use it. Allow the Spirit of the Lord to lead you.

Galatians 4:4-8

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

Paul, the writer of Galatians, articulates so perfectly the great hope we celebrate at Christmas! Without God’s intervention, we were all slaves…bound up by our sin nature and hopelessly headed to the grave. Because of God’s great love for us, He came down and rescued humanity by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sin—so we could be free from the chains of sin and become fully part of God’s glorious eternal family.

On this first Sunday of Advent, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ arrival as a gift to all humanity; let’s stir up in our hearts and homes a sense of anticipation. Over this Advent, we pray that hope would rise up in our spirits in a tangible and life-giving way.

This candle of hope symbolizes promises delivered through the prophets from God as well as the hope we have in Christ.

Let us pray:

Father, let your hope arise in our hearts! Lift our eyes up to see that you alone are where our hope comes from. Help us to shake off the anxiety, discouragements, and distractions that have filled this year. May we pause to remember that we have hope in you. We invite your Spirit into this beautiful Advent season. Renew our sense of holy anticipation! Let us be those who are waiting eagerly for Jesus to come again.

More than anything, we ask that you be glorified in this season of expectation. Amen.