God with Us

                          Sandi Patty, a Christian music singer, added

this reminder to her media page last week.

                                   

Advent is here!  On the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and then on Christmas Eve, the candles are lit, scripture is read, and prayers are offered to remind us of the reason and purpose for celebrating the coming of Jesus.  God is with us!  This time of preparation helps us remember the coming of the Christ child, live in gratitude for his presence among us today, and live in anticipation and great expectation of Jesus’ coming again.

The colors of the candles hold significance with the three purple candles representing repentance and royalty, the pink candle representing joy, and the white Christ candle signifying the pure, sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  These days of Advent, leading up to Christmas Eve, are an encouraging reminder of keeping our focus on the reason for the celebration of this season.

Sundays of Advent:

1^st –  purple “Prophecy Candle” of hope; Jeremiah 33:14-16

2^nd – purple “Bethlehem Candle” of love; Malachi 3:1-4

3^rd – pink “Shepherds Candle” of joy; Isaiah 12:2-6

4^th – purple “Angels Candle” of peace; Micah 5:2-5a

5^th – Christmas Eve the white “Christ Candle, representing the pure life of Jesus that has come into our world; Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

In this busy season, may we not lose focus of the priorities of these days and weeks leading up to Christmas.  And the great news is that not only did Jesus come as was foretold by the prophets, but He is with us today, and will come again.  May that message of hope, love, joy, and peace be one that we celebrate, believe, live out, teach, and share all year long.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:23

Isaiah 7:14