Advent: A Week of Joy

This third week of Advent is all about joy! Now there exists some varying traditions in the color of this candle. Traditionally, pink or rose is used; however, some churches use a purple candle here, and the Sunday before Christmas they would use the rose candle. The first two weeks of advent tend to be more subdued, while this candle reminds us that Christmas is a time for rejoicing and cheer. This candle sometimes is referred to as the shepherd candle. The shepherds were the first to be told about the birth of Christ from angels who told them to rejoice. Now, I know that many people teach that shepherds were the lowest of society, which is true; but the greatest, previous, king of Israel was a shepherd boy... interesting.
The song for this week is by Tenth Avenue North of "Deck the Halls." Now in my mind, Tenth Avenue North is not a band known for their silliness; however, their rendition of "Deck the Halls" embraces the idea of simple joy at Christmas. That and this video just makes me giggle. (Warning: For those who take things literally and seriously, be warned this video is neither of those things.)

Advent: A Week of Perparation

The second week of Advent uses the purple candle of preparation or the Bethlehem candle. This week is about preparing not only decorations, but preparing our selves spiritually for the coming of Christ. For this week I am reminded of the actions the old priests of the Old Testament would go through in order to purify themselves. Now I am aware that those were part of the system of works and outward cleansing, but they saw it more as an outward sign of inward cleansing. This raises the question of what in my life I need cleansing. Are my relationships hurting? Am I too wrapped up in the buying of presents that I forget the real reason of Christmas?
The song for this week is a classic by Jars of Clay, "The Little Drummer Boy."

Advent: A Week of Hope

As we begin the Christmas season, I thought what better way than to participate in the church's liturgy of Advent. The first purple candle of Advent is the prophecy candle that represents hope and expectation. We are hoping for the Savior of prophecy to come and redeem us. Now I don't know about you, but when I have good news it is really hard to keep it to myself. David Crowder*Band has a new Christmas album this year and on that CD is the song "Go Tell It on the Mountain." The fun part of that song is that Crowder gives it some bluegrass flavor. Even better is that on their last tour as a band, 7 Tour, they performed that song. Yay!