“Advent” means “coming” or “arrival.” During the season of Advent, we celebrate Christ’s coming into the world and watch with expectant hope for his coming again. In its historical origins, the season of Advent was patterned after the season of Lent, a six-week period of penitence and preparation for Easter. Similarly, the four weeks of Advent present an opportunity for communal discernment and personal examination, as the church prepares to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord and looks with hope for Christ’s return.
Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. The liturgical color for the season that you will see in our sanctuary is either blue or purple, changing to white one Christmas day. We light a candle for each Sunday of Advent to help us mark the time, and to remind us that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. (John 1:5)
Read more about Advent here, or watch the video below.