What in the World Is Advent?

• Advent is the season of the church calendar right before Christmas that lasts four weeks and ends on Christmas Eve when we move into the twelve days of Christmas.


• It is a time of joyful expectation as we wait for the coming of the Lord. This means we wait for Jesus' birth we celebrate at Christmas and we wait for Jesus' second coming.


• It is a time of conversion and renewal, a time of watching and waiting, and a time of new beginnings. It is a season of preparation.


• The message of Advent is one of hope, peace and joy. The question we are called to ask in Advent is how do we prepare for the coming of Jesus into our lives now and in times to come?


• One of the symbols of the Advent Season is the lighted candle. In Matthew 25 a group of wise women carry their lighted candles in expectation of the coming of the Lord. The lighted candle also represents the presence of Christ in our midst.


• Each of the candles of an Advent Wreath remind us of the light of Christ coming and symbolize peace, hope, love and Christ himself.


• During the Season of Advent it has become customary in churches and even in homes to use what is called an Advent Wreath (consisting of four lighted candles) as a sign of our watching and waiting in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior as we celebrate his birth in Bethlehem and his return to bring about a new heaven and a new earth at the end of time.


• The circle of the Advent Wreath represents eternity. The candles signify the time of preparation, a time of looking into ourselves and recognizing the need for the coming of Christ in our lives and, the joy we know because God loves us so much that he sent Jesus into the world to give us life and victory.
  
  As we go through this Advent Season with all the preparations for buying presents, attending parties, preparing food, preparing for visitors and all the other things of the season, Advent and the Advent Wreath remind us of the importance of preparing room in our hearts for the coming of Jesus.