Today is the third Sunday in Advent. On this day Christians light the third candle of the Advent wreath. (If you missed my posts on the first candle or second candle, you may wish to read them before you continue, but this isn't necessary.) In today's post I'm going to put up a version of the Advent candle lighting ceremony we use in my church. The candles signify different dimensions of our Advent waiting. So far we've focused on waiting for our Good Shepherd (week 1) and for forgiveness (week 2).
Note: Remember, I have written this so it would be accessible to children. Hence the simple language. Plus, if you have different readings, please feel free to add them or to replace mine. This is just a guide. Use it as you wish, or let it inspire you to write your own. The whole guide, by the way, is available here.
The Lighting of the Third Candle: Waiting with Joy
[Re-light the first two purple candles]
Remember the Meaning of Advent
Advent is a word that means "coming" or "visit". In the Christian season of Advent we prepare for the "advent" of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation includes many things:
• We remember Israel's hope for the coming of God's Messiah to save, to forgive,
and to restore them.
• We remember our hope for the second coming of Jesus.
• We remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins.
• We prepare to welcome Christ at Christmas into our world . . . and into our hearts.
By lighting one candle each week of Advent, we help ourselves to get ready for the birth of Jesus. So far we have lit two candles. The first helped us to hope for God our Shepherd; with the second we asked God to come and forgive our sins.
Today we remember the joy of waiting -- because we know how the story ends!
Prayer for God's Help
Dear God, thank you for this season of Advent that helps us to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. As we read the Bible and light a candle, may excitement for Christ's coming burn in our hearts. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Through the prophet Zephaniah God looks ahead to the time when he will renew and heal his people. It will be a day of great rejoicing, both for them and for God!
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the LORD.
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Other readings for today might include Psalm 126:1-6 and Philippians 4:4-7.
Lighting of the Candle [This is the time for the lighting of the candle. If you have your own wreath, you can light the pink candle now. If you want to do an online lighting, click on the wick of the pink candle in the picture to the right.] We light this candle because, like God's people centuries ago, we know that God has come in Christ and that Christ will come again. We rejoice in God's work in history and in the future. The pink color means joy! |  |
Prayer of Hope
Dear God, as we light this candle, we rejoice. We know how the first act of the story ended -- with the birth of Jesus the Messiah. And we know that he will come again in glory. So even though the story isn't over, we rejoice in our hope. We wait for you, rejoicing! Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment