Lighting The Advent Candles Ceremony

The meaning of the advent wreath ceremony.

Lighting the advent candles ceremony.

Many churches and families light advent candles to mark the progression toward the birth of christ. The tradition reaches back to pre christian northern europeans. This is written for that tradition using scriptures for the day from the revised common lectionary. Lighting the advent wreath advent candles advent comes from the latin word adventus meaning coming advent begins the church year starting four sundays before christmas.

In places where the tradition is to use families to light the advent wreath it is advised that. We will light a candle each week for the next four sundays to prepare our hearts for christmas. The wreath as a circle expresses god s eternity. Advent is also a time for preparing for christ s second.

Lighting the advent wreath in the tradition of hope peace joy and love many churches are used to lighting candles of hope peace joy and love. Liturgy and song for lighting advent candles for use on the four sundays of advent and christmas eve or christmas day one of the fondest advent traditions for both congregations and families is the lighting of advent candles. The four candles lit during advent are traditionally blue or purple. The advent wreath is a circle of greenery with three purple candles and one pink candle on the perimeter and one white christ candle in the center.

This year as we prepare for christmas we will also have the lighting an advent wreath. Come o christ the light. Each week during advent a new candle is lit until all the candles burn on christmas or christmas eve. The evergreen symbolizes god s unchangeableness.

The following text then is one way of approaching the advent candle lighting ceremony in worship each week.