Our Advent Celebration

We celebrate Advent as the beginning of the Church Year starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day -- Dec. 1st. this year -- and ending on Christmas Eve.

“Advent” means “coming” or “arrival.” During the season of Advent, we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world and watch with expectant hope for his coming again. Thus we acknowledge that we live "between times" and are called to be faithful stewards of the gifts entrusted to God’s people. In Advent we are called to reflect on our responsibility to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."

For Advent our church decorates the sanctuary with evergreens to remind us of the hope of renewal that we have in God and the stewardship responsibility we have for the maintenance and restoration of God's creation.

We begin Worship each Advent Sunday with the lighting of the Advent wreath. The wreath is a circular evergreen wreath with five candles, four around the outside and one in the center. The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end. The candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son. As we light one additional candle each Sunday, each adds its light to rest and their light together overcomes the darkness.

The first three candles to be lit are purple -- the traditional color of royalty, appropriate to the coming of our Lord. Individually they symbolize Hope,Love and Joy. The fourth candle is pink (or rose) to symbolize Peace. The central candle is white and lit only on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Advent is one of the Christian festivals that can be observed in the home as well as at church -- with a family Advent wreath.

Other events comiing in Advent include:

• December 13 -- Habitat Progressive Concert
• December 15 -- Advent Craft Luncheon
• December 20 -- Longest Night Service

Our Celebration of Advent culminates in a traditional candle-lit Communion Service on Christmas Eve beginning at 7:00 PM.