The Light of the World: The History and Symbolism of the Advent Wreath
The Christmas of 1839, a Lutheran minister working at a mission for children in Germany was looking for a way to count down the days until Christmas with the kids. His search led him to make a wreath out of the wheel of a wooden cart. He placed twenty small red candles and four large white candles inside the ring and each day the children lit another candle (red on weekdays and white on Sundays). This tradition grew, becoming popular throughout Germany, and as it grew people began to make Advent wreaths out of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life in the midst of winter. The circle of the wreath reminds Christians of God’s unending love and the eternal life God makes possible through Jesus.
Most modern Advent wreaths have five candles, reminding us Jesus came into the world as Light enters into darkness. We light one of the four outer candles each Sunday of Advent and light the final center candle--the Christ Candle--on Christmas Eve. WDMCC has distributed Advent wreaths so we can watch and wait for Jesus’ coming together. As we light another candle in worship each Sunday, we invite you to do the same at home.
Sometime during the day each Sunday of Advent and on Christmas Eve, take 5 minutes to walk through this devotion as a family or individual:
1. Light the week’s candle (and previous candles; see next page to know which candles to light)
2. Listen to “Kindle This Flame” (links for each week on homepage of wdmcc.org)
3. Read the short description of the week’s theme on the next page of this magazine.
4. Think about or discuss how Jesus has brought hope /peace / joy / love / light into your life.
5. Pray for this week’s theme, thanking God for the hope, peace, joy, love, and light Jesus brings.
The first candle of Advent, sometimes called the “Prohpet’s Candle,” symbolizes hope. This candle--along with candles 2 and 4--is purple, the liturgical color of repentance and royalty. Even before Jesus was born, the prophets foretold of a coming Messiah who would save the people from their sin and suffering. These prophecies announcing the Messiah’s birth brought hope to God’s people in days of darkness. Jesus’ birth brings hope to the world! “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait in hope all day long” (Psalm 25).
The second candle of Advent, sometimes called “Bethlehem’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. The prophet Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. And it was there, in a humble stall, that the Prince of Peace entered the world. Throughout his life of ministry, Jesus stood up for the poor, the meek, and the outcast, blessing them for being peacemakers (Matthew 5). Jesus’ birth brings peace to the world! “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14).
The third candle of Advent, sometimes called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” symbolizes joy. We light this candle on Gaudete Sunday (Latin for “Rejoice!”). After receiving the Good News of Jesus’ birth from a host of angels, the shepherds were overjoyed to learn that the Christ child came for the humble and meek. While the other three Advent candles are purple, this candle is pink, the liturgical color of joy. Jesus’ birth brings joy to the world! “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice! Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people, for the Lord is near” (Philippians 4).
The fourth candle of Advent, sometimes called the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes love. God sends Jesus into the world so that all creation would know God’s love in a new, more intimate way. From his humble birth to his ministry in Galilee and death on the cross, Jesus reveals God’s love and models the greatest commandment: love for God and one another. The angels are the messengers of this Good News! Jesus’ birth brings love to the world! “God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him... Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4).
The fifth candle is called the “Christ Candle” and it belongs in the center of the Advent wreath, just as Christ belongs at the center of our lives. We light this candle on Christmas Eve to mark Jesus’ birth into the world. In the same way the lighting of this candle completes the Advent wreath, Jesus’ coming to be with us (Emmanuel) makes us complete. Jesus’ birth brings light and life to the world! “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it... And the word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1).
