Advent 1 - some opening comments:
I was asked if I could explain the Advent wreath. Right off I confess there seems to be no consensus or authority around the wreath. Some despise this tradition - others cannot imagine Advent and Christmas without it. To some it is occult, animist or pagan practice, to others sacred Christian liturgy. So - the short answer is no I can't explain the "symbolism" completely. I can and will provide some thoughts if that is OK?
The first thought I will offer is this:
Symbols and ritual have no power or authority in and of themselves. They are inert. Any other thinking is fanciful mystic nonsense. Symbols and ritual can be and often are a significant part of the communication of the Gospel. The Gospel is alive and vibrant; should our communication of the Gospel not be likewise? As we communicate the wonder of the Gospel why would we not engage all our senses, all our emotions, our mind and our spirit? Word, movement, sound, light, form and texture all offer avenues that can honour God and thus enhance the communication of the Gospel. God's history of salvation is the ultimate love story, the ultimate drama. I suggest the Church should embrace telling this story with every tool of communication God created in us. We should use the beauty of God's creative genius to communicate, encourage and remind all people of God's Love. Christian symbols, ritual and liturgy are tools used to convey the good news - the Gospel. So let's not let our imaginations get carried away and distract us. OK?
Isaiah 9:2 "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."
Some call the first candle the "prophecy candle" to remind us Jesus' coming was foretold hundreds of years before the incarnation and is known eternally. This is consistent with the name Hope: first, because (as we have seen in the week 1 blog posts) our Hope founded in God is certain as are prophesies received from God; and second, because the prophecy of Jesus is the pronouncement of ultimate Hope.
The first candle is often blue, purple or violet; these colors have been associated with the repentance to which we are called in anticipation of the coming of Christ. In Advent this word "coming" is a double entendre: first, because as we are approaching Christmas it alludes to the birth of Christ and thus His coming in flesh among us. Also, in Advent we look forward to Christ's coming again in glory at the end of time. So in this season we figuratively wait in darkness for our prophesied restoration to God as Israel once waited for the birth of the Messi
The first thought I will offer is this:
Symbols and ritual have no power or authority in and of themselves. They are inert. Any other thinking is fanciful mystic nonsense. Symbols and ritual can be and often are a significant part of the communication of the Gospel. The Gospel is alive and vibrant; should our communication of the Gospel not be likewise? As we communicate the wonder of the Gospel why would we not engage all our senses, all our emotions, our mind and our spirit? Word, movement, sound, light, form and texture all offer avenues that can honour God and thus enhance the communication of the Gospel. God's history of salvation is the ultimate love story, the ultimate drama. I suggest the Church should embrace telling this story with every tool of communication God created in us. We should use the beauty of God's creative genius to communicate, encourage and remind all people of God's Love. Christian symbols, ritual and liturgy are tools used to convey the good news - the Gospel. So let's not let our imaginations get carried away and distract us. OK?
The Advent 1 Candle I have called "Hope" in a Protestant tradition.
Isaiah 9:2 "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."
Some call the first candle the "prophecy candle" to remind us Jesus' coming was foretold hundreds of years before the incarnation and is known eternally. This is consistent with the name Hope: first, because (as we have seen in the week 1 blog posts) our Hope founded in God is certain as are prophesies received from God; and second, because the prophecy of Jesus is the pronouncement of ultimate Hope.
The first candle is often blue, purple or violet; these colors have been associated with the repentance to which we are called in anticipation of the coming of Christ. In Advent this word "coming" is a double entendre: first, because as we are approaching Christmas it alludes to the birth of Christ and thus His coming in flesh among us. Also, in Advent we look forward to Christ's coming again in glory at the end of time. So in this season we figuratively wait in darkness for our prophesied restoration to God as Israel once waited for the birth of the Messi
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