The Advent wreath tends to get lost in the shuffle (although, we could say Advent as a whole gets lost in the shuffle), amidst everything else that happens in a weekend worship, let alone our minds tend to focus on what’s coming later in December as opposed to these four Sundays leading up to that big day. For many mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic faith communities, we do our prayer, we light the needed candles, we sing a song and keep on moving. And then, soon enough, that collection of candles amidst a circular greenery will get tucked away in some closet, never to be thought of again for another 11 months or so. It tends to get lost in the shuffle (although, we could say much of our spirituality gets lost in the chaotic day-to-day living shuffle).
I will be the first to admit that it took a while for me to really dig into the meaning of the whole thing. My family wasn’t one observing the tradition at home, as others did/do their own lighting and Bible-reading and praying. I remember serving as an acolyte during my Confirmation days and having to light those dreaded candles, as the wreath was hanging high above (not sure who thought junior high youth were all professional basketball player heights). I remember it being there, but it was just something we did, almost serving as a count-up (instead of count-down) to the big day later in December.
And then, for some reason, I wanted to teach Confirmation students at the first congregation I served with out of seminary about the Advent wreath (perhaps trying to cover my tracks that I didn’t take the time to do so before, or perhaps even forgetting what was said in seminary). And although there’s plenty of information/research about the tradition that has been going on for a few centuries now (at least, similar to our current format), the part I cling to the most is not the candles (although, an interesting detail would be that some churches, who of course have to be different, will instead of promoting the symbolism of the candles with hope, peace, joy, love will go with prophecy, Bethlehem, shepherd, and angel candles…but minor detail).
I gravitate towards the wreath, that will never get mentioned on its own. Some would say it symbolizes everlasting life with Christ. Others would say it’s a victory wreath, the triumph over sin and death. Then, there are those who go with its foreshadowing of what will be placed on the head of Christ come Good Friday. Or maybe it’s meant to show the ongoing wheel of time itself. Perhaps it can be all the above. But I also appreciate the idea of Christ immersing himself into our earthly time and lighting his flame of Emmanuel (God-with-us) in the center of our being, never to be extinguished. It is a light that does give us hope that the everlasting life is exactly that: everlasting. It is a light that somehow manages to give us peace amidst the ongoing daily shuffle. It is a light that gives us joy, that somehow, someway, Christ believed we were worth brining all of this to fruition. It is a light that ensures we are loved to our very core.
The Advent wreath has much packed into it in a relatively small physical space, not to mention its rather small usage in the grand scheme of the full-scale worship operation. And unfortunately, it will still get lost in the shuffle more often than not, but I hope, every once in a while, that a candle can latch onto someone in a pew. I hope the wreath will, from time to time, nudge someone to dig into its meaning. Because as much as the late December big day is a big day for eternal-altering reasons, still the four Sundays preceding it, have more than their fair share to say: with the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus Christ to light up all our days. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Brad