Background
The Advent wreath acts as a symbol for the passage of the four weeks in Advent. Created out of childish excitement of the coming of Christmas, the wreath was originally a wooden ring with 20 red candles and 4 larger white ones, each representing a day leading up to Christmas Eve. Over time, the wooden ring was adorned with evergreen branches, the candles were whittled down to just four, representing the four Sundays in Advent leading up to Christmas, and the Christ candle was added to the center to represent the birth of our savior.
Why do we light one new candle each week?
Still today, the anticipation of the Christmas season and Christmas day is ever-present. By lighting the candles one by one over the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we represent the anticipation for Christ’s arrival. As Jesus overcame darkness, the light from the candles slowly builds and pushes back the darkness until Christmas Day, when the wreath is fully illuminated, reminding us of Light of the World. Each candle offers us and the people around us the opportunity to experience the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ.
Celebrating Traditions
Everyone may feel a little off-kilter this holiday season. Traditions have to be put on pause, travel restrictions are keeping loved ones apart – but Christmas is still coming! The Advent wreath provides cause for you and your family to press pause and gather together during an often busy time of year. Share this guide with your family or friends who you won’t be able to see this Christmas season. Celebrate the lighting of the candles over FaceTime. Let this be a way to bring family and community into your home and heart.
How to Make A Wreath
The Advent wreath usually lays flat, but we encourage you to take creative freedom! Use the wreath as a centerpiece on a table, hang on your front door as a welcome sign – because the wreath is present for the entire Christmas season, it can be used as decoration in your home.
The essentials: five candles, a circular frame, evergreens (or something similar). Don’t forget- this is your wreath. You can put your candles in something to prevent wax from making things messy. Try mason jars, serving trays, or a tin can. And finally, you can add pine cones, holly, ornaments, popcorn strands, or ribbon for decoration.
If you prefer to get creative with food, give an edible bagel or doughnut Advent wreath a try! For this, all you’d need is a doughnut/bagel, icing/cream cheese, green sprinkles/chives, and birthday candles. There are so many ways to build an Advent wreath. Find one that works for you, your family, and your home to enjoy this Christmas season. Our hope is that we can be together in heart and spirit through shared practices. Have fun and find joy this Advent season.
Readings for each week.
Week 1: HOPE
Today we light the first candle of Advent which represents HOPE. As the prophet Isaiah declared about the coming of Christ to Israel: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.” We recognize that the same hope is present today in the midst of the darkness that we experience around us. May the birth of Jesus remind us of God’s unconditional love for all of us and help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope. Amen.
Week 2: PEACE
Today we relight the candle of HOPE and light the second candle of Advent which represents PEACE. As Paul wrote to the church in Colossi: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” May divisions in ourselves and in our families be peacefully resolved. May there be peace in our cities and in the countries of our world. Help us to see the paths of peace in our lives, and then give us courage to follow them. Lord, let us remember that you only are the giver of lasting peace and that you are always with us. Amen.
Week 3: JOY
Today we relight the candle of HOPE and the candle of PEACE, and light the third candle of Advent which represents JOY. As the prophet Isaiah declared about the coming Christ to Israel: “Be glad and rejoice forever in what God is creating; for God is about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.” We recognize that God wants to create that same joy in our lives today. Create us anew in the joy of the Lord no matter what we may be facing in life, and help us to see your glory as you fill our lives with your living Spirit. Amen.
Week 4: LOVE
Today we relight the first three candles of Advent — the candles of HOPE, PEACE, and JOY, and we light the fourth candle of Advent which represents LOVE. As John wrote in his first letter, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” May God remind us this Christmas season how much we are loved by our Creator and that we are invited to live and walk in that love in everything we do. Teach us to love, O Lord, and may we be challenged to love others with the same unconditional and grace filled love of Christ that has been given to us. Amen.