The candles, the wreaths of evergreen shaped in a perfect circle as a symbol of God’s eternity…The Advent Wreath takes its place across the Christian community as we prepare for the coming birth of Jesus Christ. Starting with the last Sunday in November and for the next three Sundays, we celebrate the Advent Season. The time the church prepares for the birth of Christ. We celebrate the four virtues of, hope, love, joy and peace, each represented by the four candles in the wreath. Lighting each one in the preceding Sundays, most denominations adding a fifth candle, the Christ candle, lit on Christmas to symbolize the light Jesus brings to this troubled world. 

There are people in this world that have a natural disaffection toward God but feign a false respect toward Him. Refusing to let Him into their lives and they refuse to trust in Him. In Isaiah 7 we read about Ahaz and his court having little value for divine revelation. God is greatly grieved by our distrust but that does not diminish the divine revelation or limit the scope of God’s promises. Our world today is one of distress and many dangers…but God has given us a sign. Unto you is to be born and all this time later we  continue to celebrate the birth of Christ. In all this chaos we have someone to seek comfort in. We find comfort  and trust in Him, our relationship with him and our expectations of Him and from Him. Christ would grow up like many other children but had within Him the strength to refuse to be caught up in the evils and sin of the world around him. His birth would be by the power of the Holy Ghost, to come among us as a divine revelation an instrument of God’s salvation for all mankind. Just as His coming was a never failing support to the hopes of believers  then and now, we can rejoice that the Word was made flesh and came to dwell among us. 

Romans 15:13-17- “May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Joy, Peace, Love….These are the attributes that fuel hope and it is hope on which we build our tomorrows. I HOPE for you an Advent Season filled with joy, peace and love. Will you trust in the  Divine Revelation and find HOPE in the salvation that is now ours?

Life is Good

jk