ADVENT COLORS

 

What’s your favorite color? My wife’s favorite color is blue. She looks pretty in blue. Actually, she looks pretty in any color. She was wearing a blue dress when I first met her. Blue, red and yellow are called primary colors. You can mix them together to make other colors.

The Bible mentions blue almost 50 times. Churches use blue during Advent. Blue is the color of the sky, which reminds us of hope. Our Christian faith rests on the hope that Christ, who came in history as a baby and grew to be a man, will return from that blue sky into which He went. Before Christ returns, Advent gives us time to prepare for His return and for Christmas through prayer and listening to God’s Word. Blue makes us feel like doing that.

Next week, I will talk about pink, but for today, let’s stick to blue. Advent wreathes have blue candles. Last week, we lit one candle. Today, we lit two candles because today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

The first Advent candle is known as the prophecy candle or candle of hope. The second is called the Bethlehem candle or the candle of peace. And the fourth is called the angel candle or the candle of love. Hope, peace and love.

As we draw nearer to Christmas, we’re going to be so busy and so excited, and the candles of the Advent wreathe and the daily prayers in our Advent calendars will keep our minds fixed on God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – so that we remember the true reason for celebrating Christmas: Jesus.

Jesus not only gives us hope, peace and love, but is all three. As you go through your days for the next few weeks, focus on Jesus. When you think you or someone else needs a little hope, peace and love, think of the color blue and pray.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless all children, and give their fathers and mothers the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.