Joy in anticipating Jesus’ coming - advent

Joy in anticipating Jesus’ coming - advent

My church has been lighting the advent candles each week since Advent began. I mentioned it to my husband and as we were talking, I couldn’t recall why one of the candles was a different color (if you use only four, if you use five in the wreath, then two of yours are likely different colors).

I have found in the various churches that I’ve attended in the places where I’ve lived, the candles represent something different to each denomination. They don’t vary greatly, just enough that some might notice. But the varied color of the one candle is pretty consistent. One is pink. Pink, or rose, is the symbolic color for joy in church liturgy; and the third candle is often rose for joy.

Now the question comes to mind, is there symbolism for the other candles? Purple is used to indicate a time of repentance or mourning in the church calendar. I guess I am more accustomed to considering Advent a time of joy than of repentance. I consider Lent a time of repentance, and that is the other time we see pink (rose) in the church symbolism for joy again.

Repentance is what the purple stands for in the candles, and if you attend a liturgical church, the vestments and altar coverings will also likely be purple. Repentance at Christmastime. This is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. We celebrate his first coming and his life here which guides us and has paid for our sins. This we see in the nativity scenes all around us. We don’t see many reminders that Christ is coming again. This is what we must prepare for: his second coming.

What joy the anticipation of his second coming brings! The joy of knowing that when he comes, we will be like him, as 1 John 3:2-3 says, ‘Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.’ Note this encouragement to purify. Here we arrive at the need for repentance, the need to be more Christ-like each day. And when the day comes, we will be made new. What joy to anticipate!

Luke 19, part of our Luke study for this week, talks also of his second coming and our part in the anticipation. Verses 11-27, The Parable of the Ten Minas, tell of a master who has gone away for a long time to be made king in a distant country. He gave ten servants ten minas before he departed and told them to ‘put this money to work, until I come back,’ (verse 13). This tells us to put work what the Master has given us. We must never give up, continue faithfully working for the Lord; even should his return seem to tarry. The one servant who seemed to know that God would reap what he had not sown, did not plant and could not reap for his master. God does much and is able to do infinitely more, but he wants to partner with us. What joy it is that God wants us to be part of his activity here on earth.

As I anticipate his coming and reflect on his life here over 2,000 years ago, I am filled with joy. He chose me, he has taken me from darkness to light, washed away my sins, changed my heart and made me more like him, filled with the Holy Spirit and his fruit. I’m glad that I wanted to check what that one pink candle was for in the advent wreath. Hasten your coming Lord Jesus.