But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
(Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)

We’ve looked at what Advent is, so let’s turn our attention to how we’ll celebrate as a church and ways that you might consider celebrating as a family.

We want our eager anticipation to be well informed by the scriptures as well as tradition. We’ll do this over the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve. Here’s what will be involved each week:
We’ll make use of the simple advent wreath as a visual aid in our celebration which includes an evergreen wreath and 5 candles.

The evergreen Advent wreath reminds us of God who is eternal and ever merciful, and of our hope in Him and the freshness of His eternal life. The candles represent the long centuries of waiting for the Messiah, the Light of the Word, and the fulfillment of God’s promise to His world.

Advent’s primary color is purple, the color of both royalty and penance, as we welcome the King who was born to die for our salvation. The candle lit on the first Sunday of Advent traditionally symbolizes Expectation and Hope. The second candle stands for Peace, while the candle lit on the Third Sunday of Advent is pink or rose, symbolizing our Joy at the nearness of the Lord. The fourth candle symbolizes love. The fifth and final candle is the Christ candle and reminds us that the fullness of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are found in Jesus Christ alone. This candle is lit during our Christmas Eve Service.

You’ll find us making use of the Advent wreath in our Sunday Celebration of Advent during our 10am worship service.

Families can also participate in lighting of an advent wreath at home. There are several helpful devotionals available. Here are just a few:

• Waiting Here for You, Louie Giglio
• The Dawning of Indestructible Joy, John Piper

• Good News of Great Joy, John Piper
• 
Prepare Him Room, Marty Machowski

• Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles, Elyse Fitzpatrick

• Found In Him, Elyse Fitzpatrick