Advent Devotionals
What is Advent?
The season of Advent (which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day) is the Christian’s New Year Celebration! Advent means coming or arrival. This first season of the Christian year is a time to focus our attention on Jesus Christ’s birth and as well as on his Second Coming when he will return to redeem all of creation and rule with all power and authority. Since we can’t anticipate the day or the hour of Christ’s return, we are filled with both a sense of joyful expectation and humble reverence, with prayer and reflection.
Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is blue, the color of royalty, to welcome the coming of the King. This points to the important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity and the Incarnation cannot be separated from the crucifixion and the atonement.
One way that Trinity marks the time of this season is an Advent devotional guide at home and the Advent wreath at worship.
The Advent wreath symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus Christ. The wreath consists of five candles, four candles around the wreath and one white candle in the center. One candle is lit the first Sunday of Advent, two are lit the second Sunday, and so on. The light progressively reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope (Isa 42:6). Each of the candles usually have a special theme and color. The first candle is the prophecy candle; the second is the Bethlehem candle; the third is the Angels candle; the fourth is the Shepherd candle; and the center white candle is the Christ candle, lit at our Christmas Eve Service.
Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is blue, the color of royalty, to welcome the coming of the King. This points to the important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity and the Incarnation cannot be separated from the crucifixion and the atonement.
One way that Trinity marks the time of this season is an Advent devotional guide at home and the Advent wreath at worship.
The Advent wreath symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus Christ. The wreath consists of five candles, four candles around the wreath and one white candle in the center. One candle is lit the first Sunday of Advent, two are lit the second Sunday, and so on. The light progressively reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life, and hope (Isa 42:6). Each of the candles usually have a special theme and color. The first candle is the prophecy candle; the second is the Bethlehem candle; the third is the Angels candle; the fourth is the Shepherd candle; and the center white candle is the Christ candle, lit at our Christmas Eve Service.