Advent Candle Readings 2021
THE CANDLES OF ADVENT: HOPE - LOVE - JOY -PEACE
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: HOPE
The word “advent” means “the coming.” Advent is a season of spiritual reflection, while we anticipate the coming king. The advent wreath symbolizes continuous life and draws us to reflection as we wait.
A reading from Isaiah:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Today, we light the first candle, the candle of hope. This candle symbolizes the great hope that is ours in the Christ. In this hope, the Old Testament prophets and believers looked ahead to His coming. In this hope, we prepare to celebrate His birth and we look ahead to His return.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are the hope of world. This Advent, help us slow down and listen to your voice. We place our hope in you as we prepare our hearts to celebrate your birth on Christmas. Amen.
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: PEACE
Today, we continue our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the coming king, who is our hope and our peace.
A reading from Isaiah:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end, He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Today, we relight the first candle, the candle of hope. And we add the second, the candle of peace.
It symbolizes the great peace that is ours in the Christ. He came to reconcile us to God; we are at peace with God through Him. The night of His birth at Bethlehem is a night of peace and we are people of peace through this Christ Child.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you entered our world on Christmas as the Prince of Peace. This Advent, fill us with a deep and abiding peace. Help us share your peace with everyone we encounter. Amen.
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT: JOY
Today, we continue our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the coming king, who is our hope, our peace, and our joy.
A reading from Isaiah:
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Today, we relight the first two candles - the candles of hope and peace. Today, we add the third candle, the candle of joy. It symbolizes the great joy that is ours in the Christ. He came to give us joy in the forgiveness of our sins; He came to give us the joys of eternal life. All of creation will rejoice when He returns and sets all things right.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are our joy. In this season of Advent, lead us to see and perceive the joy that you bring in our lives. Help us to seek you and find you in everyday moments, so that we may come with hearts of gratitude to your manger. Amen.
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: LOVE
Today is the final worship of our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the great arrival of Jesus, the coming king and savior. He is our hope, our peace, our joy and reveals the Love of God to and for us.
A reading from Micah:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace
Today, we relight the first three candles - the candles of hope, peace, and love. We add the final candle, the candle of love. It symbolizes the great love of the Father in sending His Son to take on human flesh for us and the great love of in Christ in coming for us. In love, Christ continues to come to us in Word and Sacrament and makes His home in our hearts.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are our hope, our peace, and our joy. On this day, may your love shine in our hearts. As Christmas draws ever near, we are in awe of your great love for us. Let your love for us transform our hearts and lives, so that we may love as you loved us. Amen.
Christmas Eve—Christ Candle
Over the past weeks, we have prepared for this night, by lighting the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. Tonight, we light the final candle, the Christ candle.
In John’s Gospel we read, all things came into being through Christ, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not overcome it.
We rejoice that Christ is born; he is the light of the world. This is good news of great joy for all people because we celebrate that Christ the Lord our Savior has been born. God came to earth to save us and restore our relationship to God through Christ.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus is the hope of the world. Jesus is our perfect peace. Jesus is our joy. And he is the love of God, demonstrated for us. Praise God for the gift of his Son.
Christ, the Savior is born.
Let us pray:
Jesus, your coming into the world has brightened our weary hearts with hope, peace, joy, and love. Call us out of darkness and empower us to proclaim the Good News, found in you alone. Amen.
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: HOPE
The word “advent” means “the coming.” Advent is a season of spiritual reflection, while we anticipate the coming king. The advent wreath symbolizes continuous life and draws us to reflection as we wait.
A reading from Isaiah:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Today, we light the first candle, the candle of hope. This candle symbolizes the great hope that is ours in the Christ. In this hope, the Old Testament prophets and believers looked ahead to His coming. In this hope, we prepare to celebrate His birth and we look ahead to His return.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are the hope of world. This Advent, help us slow down and listen to your voice. We place our hope in you as we prepare our hearts to celebrate your birth on Christmas. Amen.
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: PEACE
Today, we continue our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the coming king, who is our hope and our peace.
A reading from Isaiah:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end, He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Today, we relight the first candle, the candle of hope. And we add the second, the candle of peace.
It symbolizes the great peace that is ours in the Christ. He came to reconcile us to God; we are at peace with God through Him. The night of His birth at Bethlehem is a night of peace and we are people of peace through this Christ Child.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you entered our world on Christmas as the Prince of Peace. This Advent, fill us with a deep and abiding peace. Help us share your peace with everyone we encounter. Amen.
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT: JOY
Today, we continue our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the coming king, who is our hope, our peace, and our joy.
A reading from Isaiah:
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Today, we relight the first two candles - the candles of hope and peace. Today, we add the third candle, the candle of joy. It symbolizes the great joy that is ours in the Christ. He came to give us joy in the forgiveness of our sins; He came to give us the joys of eternal life. All of creation will rejoice when He returns and sets all things right.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are our joy. In this season of Advent, lead us to see and perceive the joy that you bring in our lives. Help us to seek you and find you in everyday moments, so that we may come with hearts of gratitude to your manger. Amen.
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: LOVE
Today is the final worship of our Advent journey, this season of spiritual reflection. We anticipate the great arrival of Jesus, the coming king and savior. He is our hope, our peace, our joy and reveals the Love of God to and for us.
A reading from Micah:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace
Today, we relight the first three candles - the candles of hope, peace, and love. We add the final candle, the candle of love. It symbolizes the great love of the Father in sending His Son to take on human flesh for us and the great love of in Christ in coming for us. In love, Christ continues to come to us in Word and Sacrament and makes His home in our hearts.
Let us pray:
Jesus, you are our hope, our peace, and our joy. On this day, may your love shine in our hearts. As Christmas draws ever near, we are in awe of your great love for us. Let your love for us transform our hearts and lives, so that we may love as you loved us. Amen.
Christmas Eve—Christ Candle
Over the past weeks, we have prepared for this night, by lighting the candles of hope, peace, joy, and love. Tonight, we light the final candle, the Christ candle.
In John’s Gospel we read, all things came into being through Christ, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not overcome it.
We rejoice that Christ is born; he is the light of the world. This is good news of great joy for all people because we celebrate that Christ the Lord our Savior has been born. God came to earth to save us and restore our relationship to God through Christ.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus is the hope of the world. Jesus is our perfect peace. Jesus is our joy. And he is the love of God, demonstrated for us. Praise God for the gift of his Son.
Christ, the Savior is born.
Let us pray:
Jesus, your coming into the world has brightened our weary hearts with hope, peace, joy, and love. Call us out of darkness and empower us to proclaim the Good News, found in you alone. Amen.