“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

These are the words of our Lord and our God given to us for times such as these….for Christmas seasons when our hearts are heavy and our nation mourns. This Sunday, we will light the Candle of Peace in our Advent wreath and this symbolic act will not only continue our anticipation of Christ’s birth, but it will echo with our aching longing for peace.  We trust in God’s assurances that peace will come. In Isaiah 60:20 the Word of God says “Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.”  Another promise from God again in Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Into this broken world, our loving God has sent us a Wonderful Counselor to heal our hearts, a Mighty God to hold all things together, an Everlasting Father to guide us and a Prince of Peace to calm the storm. So, when, on Christmas Eve, we then light the final white Christ candle, let us remember that light has come into this dark world and we can rejoice in the hope of a promise given long ago that has been realized in Christ Jesus.

Join us this Sunday at 10am for Peace Sunday and again on Monday at 7pm for our Christmas Eve service.

This third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday of Joy! We light the third candle in our Advent Wreath – the pink candle of Joy. We have deep joy as we anticipate, with expectancy, our celebration at the fulfillment of God’s promise. For God said in His word…    Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Because of His all-surpassing love, because of His endless grace, He sends a Savior to live among us! This will be an occasion for incredible joy!

This third Advent candle is traditionally the color pink. This color symbolizes “rejoicing”. This symbol of joy helps us to remember the joy we have in worshipping our King, the joy we can share with others when we tell them the “Good News”, and the joy we can experience in Christ.

As we light this third candle, the glow from our wreath continues to grow. The flame of each new candle reminds us all that something wonderful is happening and that more is yet to come!

Join us Sunday, December 16^th at 10am as we light the Candle of Joy.

On this second Sunday in Advent, we light our second candle in our Advent Wreath – the candle of Love.  We celebrate the fact that God’s all surpassing love for us, led Him to send His Son for our good. We celebrate the fact that this sacrificial act of love, saves us for all eternity. We celebrate 1John 4:19, which says “We love because He first loved us.” Again, Hallelujah!

This second Advent candle, like the first, is traditionally the color purple. Purple symbolizes repentance but it also symbolizes royalty. This powerful symbol of royalty helps us to remember God’s sovereignty and authority in all of creation. And, during the Advent Season, it helps us to focus on our reception of the coming King – Jesus.  The lighting of the candles each week symbolizes the darkness of fear, sin, and hopelessness receding as more and more light is shed upon the world.

Join us Sunday, December 9^th at 10am as we light the Candle of Love.

On our first Sunday of Advent, we light the first candle in our Advent Wreath – the candle of Hope. What is the importance and symbolism of this ritual? Again, we begin with Hope. As it says in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Rituals and symbolism help us to “see” what is invisible. They help us to focus on and remember the importance and meaning of events that are central to our faith. As communion helps us to remember, and to re-experience each time, the depth of God’s love for us and lengths He will go to redeem us, these Advent rituals help us to focus on the true and glorious message of the Hope that is Christmas – We Are Saved!!

There is a lot of symbolism in the Advent Wreath. It is created out of evergreen boughs. Evergreen to represent the eternal life that is ours in Christ Jesus. The circle represents God’s eternity, His endless mercy and the fact that He is the Alpha and the Omega. Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son, Jesus.  The Advent Wreath has 4 outer candles and these also represent the waiting during the four Sundays of Advent – one candle for each century between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. As we light each candle, one per week, we experience the various aspects of our waiting.

Join us Sunday, December 2^nd, at 10am as we light the Candle of Hope.