Advent Wreath Candle Lighting
Third Week of Advent, December 13, 2020
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 & John 1:6-8, 19-28
Reader One: We want everything to look nice: the decorations of the season, our homes with their lights and tinsel, wreaths and ribbons. We want to lighten the darkness around us, bring beauty to the ugliness that wears us down. We decorate, because it is tradition. Because it lifts our hearts. Because it makes us feel like children again. We deck our halls because company is coming.
Reader Two: The prophet Isaiah smiled when he said, “God will give a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” No matter how far we feel from the spirit of the season, God promises to decorate us with love and with joy.
Reader One: We light these candles as a sign of our joy in the beautiful things of this season – not just the things that glitter and flash, but the deeper things, the beauty of the heart and the soul, the beauty of love shared in service and hospitality. We light this candle of joy because company is coming.
Reader Two: O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
Advent is a time of anticipation, both on Earth and in Heaven. Here we begin our advent with Church services and the beginning of the Christmas story being told. We bake cookies, and decorate our homes with colorful lights and of course, the wonderful smelling Christmas tree.
In heaven, God is sending angels to the shepherds and a star to lead the wise men. On earth, we wrap presents in colorful paper while in Heaven, God is wrapping his only son in swaddling clothes. We put our angel on the tree first, as God sends his angel to watch over the manger.
Such a comforting and warm anticipation knowing God is beginning his lessons to help mankind know his teachings through his son. We learn each year throughout the Advent season, that
God has a plan for his son and for us all. Calling his son, Jesus Emmanuel, God with us, shows us the promise God is giving us. Let us share this story throughout the Advent season to remind all mankind that God will take care of us.
Carol Parisella

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