Advent: Prayers and Conspiracies

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent... Advent being the traditional time of preparation leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by Israel for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Jesus.

My wife and I have never celebrated Advent, though we have been Christians for many years now. We thought it would be a rich and spiritually rewarding thing to do this year. We would prefer to focus this time on Jesus, and less on consumerism and stress. We thought others might be interested in doing the same:

How to Celebrate Advent

Advent begins on Advent Sunday, usually somewhere around December 1. Historically, the primary color of Advent is Purple (in some traditions blue is used instead of purple). This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. Other colors that are used are red (for joy, love, and celebration) and white (to represent purity, new birth or creation, and Jesus).

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance!

It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation. It is that hope that once anticipated, and now anticipates anew, the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, who will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.

The lighting of candles (representing Jesus being the light of the world) is a very important part of celebrating Advent. On the First Sunday of Advent, the purple candle of hope is lit, follwed by scripture reading and prayers, and then is subsequently put out. Likewise for the Second Sunday (candle of peace) and the Third Sunday (candle of love). The Forth Sunday is a red or pink candle representing joy is lit, followed again by scripture reading and prayers, and again is put out. On Christmas Eve, a white candle is lit representing the birth of Christ and, along with all the others, is left burning all night. The Christ Candle, as it is called, is usually placed in the center of the other candles to remind us that the Incarnation is the heart of the season.

For a general Advent Prayer see here.

For daily Advent Scripture readings see here.

This week's Advent prayer is:

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I'll post the prayer of the week each week as the Advent season moves along.

Also, the book Celtic Daily Prayer has some wonderful Advent resources.

The Conspiracy

Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption. It is really exciting and is something that all Christians, but especially those in the West, should chew on a bit this Christmas season. Check it out at http://www.adventconspiracy.org/.