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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most
churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before
Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on
Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as
the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at
sundown. Historically, the primary color of Advent is Purple. This is
the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to
welcome the Advent of the King. The purple of Advent is also the color
of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This points to an
important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the
Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of
Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh" and dwelling
among us is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life
and teaching, but also through his suffering, death, and resurrection.
To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and
fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent.
In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be
a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions
it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice"). The
shift from the purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday
Advent candles reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as
attention turned more to celebration of the season. In recent times,
however, Advent has undergone a shift in emphasis, reflected in a change
of colors used in many churches. Except in the Eastern churches, the
penitential aspect of the Season has been almost totally replaced by an
emphasis on hope and anticipation. In many churches the third Sunday
remains the Sunday of Joy marked by pink or rose. However, most
Protestant churches now use blue to distinguish the Season of Advent
from Lent.Royal Blue is sometimes used as a symbol of royalty.
Some churches use Bright Blue to symbolize the night sky, the
anticipation of the impending announcement of the King’s coming, or to
symbolize the waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new creation. Some
churches, including some Catholic churches, use blue violet to preserve
the traditional use of purple while providing a visual distinction
between the purple or red violet of Lent. With the shift to blue for
Advent in most non-Catholic churches, there is also a tendency to move
pink to the Fourth Sunday of Advent. It still remains associated with
Joy, but is increasingly used as the climax of the Advent Season on the
last Sunday before Christmas. Red and Green are more secular colors of
Christmas. Although they derive from older European practices of using
evergreens and holly to symbolize ongoing life and hope that Christ’s
birth brings into a cold world, they are not used as liturgical colors
during Advent since they have other uses in other parts of the church
year.
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus
of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ
in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the
King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking
a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God,
the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be
reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and
the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent
will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of
accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the
hope of eternal life. In this double focus on past and future, Advent
also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation,
as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world
today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment
provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a
profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be
faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the
church celebrates God’s in breaking into history in the Incarnation, and
anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all
creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own
responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with
all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself."
Let’s give our
minds and hearts to the Lord! |
