Observing Advent

These four weeks prior to Christmas comprise the season of Advent.  This stretch of days is much-maligned, often being described as a time of “getting ready for Christmas.”  But this season is a kettle that stands on its own bottom.  It has a rich heritage and it is observed with a variety of practices.

Among these are:

Advent Calendar

These are a favorite with children.  They come in a variety of formats, but most are poster-like in appearance with fold-out doors that are opened daily.  Once opened, the flaps reveal some phrase or scripture verse or picture that reflects the season.  Many are numbered 1 through 24 or 25, so unless Advent begins precisely on December 1 a little correction may be necessary.  Sadly, there are versions that reflect more of a countdown to Christmas than an observance of a meaningful, self-contained season.

Advent Wreath

The Advent Wreath is an object that has a multiplicity of symbols incorporated into one wonderful devotional object.  As the name implies, it is round, signifying eternality in the person of Jesus.  The greenery of the wreath indicates everlasting life.  The four candles situated in the outer ring number the Sundays in Advent.  The church lights one candle on the first Sunday of Advent, two on the second and so forth through the entire season.  The emphasis is on progression, and on the gradual overtaking of the darkness by the light.  Light being a principle symbol of these four weeks.  The central (white) candle is the Christ Candle, and it is ignited at the Christmas Eve/Vigil service, or if that service is not held, then the candle is lighted on Christmas day. 

The color of the candles on the outer ring is the subject of much conversation within various church traditions.  The earliest candles were all white, or all red.  Over time, Protestant churches moved to violet candles reflecting the color of the fabric pieces used during the season.  For reasons that cannot be fully identified, Protestants incorporated an outdated Roman Catholic custom into their color schemes, and a rose-colored candle became the color for the Third Sunday in Advent.  The why of this gets a little sketchy.

In Roman Catholic tradition, the Fourth Sunday in Lent is known as Laetare Sunday.  It gets its name from the opening words of the liturgy for the day, "Laetare Jerusalem" which means, "Rejoice, O Jerusalem" and is a Latin phrase taken from Isaiah 66:10.  It is a Sunday of celebration that offers a break from the solemnity of Lent.  Vestments and paraments for this day were rose in color.  And, on this day, the Pope frequently gave guided roses to some of his favorites. Now comes the tricky part: as the church began to equate Advent with Lent, mirroring Advent as a pre-Christmas time in the same way that it observed Lent as a pre-Easter period, the third Sunday of Advent took on aspects of Laetere.  It became known as Gaudete Sunday, again taking a label from the opening words of the Catholic liturgy for the day.  Gaudete means “rejoice.”  So, we have a rose candle because of an old Catholic practice during the season of Lent.

In recent years, Protestants have moved to the use of blue candles – as well as in clergy vestments and sanctuary appointments – during this season.  Blue is a color associated with the Virgin Mary in church iconography.  It is also a symbol of hope.  The use of blue as a distinct color for the Advent season (as opposed to using purple as a mirroring of Lent) has a great deal to recommend it.

There are other objects that contribute to the observance of the season.  I’ll visit more of them next time.

The peace of the Lord be with you.