Advent Practices
by Pastor Walter Snyder

Q: Would you please summarize Advent and various Christian practices for me to share
with others?

A: "Advent" means appearance, approach, or coming. In churches following the ancient calendar,
the First Sunday in Advent heralds the new "Liturgical" or Church Year. Advent begins four
Sundays before Christmas Day. A more traditional way to express this is to say that Advent
begins on the nearest Sunday to the Feast of St. Andrew (30 November), whether before or after.

A time of preparation for the coming Christ, Advent also provides a time of reflection and
repentance. Rather than joining society's headlong rush to celebrate and then forget Christmas as
quickly as possible, Advent slows us down and leads us carefully and prayerfully through a time
of penitence. Advent helps us remember that the sweet little Babe of Bethlehem came to save
sinners by taking our sins on Himself, suffering horrible, and dying on the cross.

We often speak Christ's "three-fold advent": 1) His lowly coming in the flesh, or ~incarnation~,
that Christmas celebrates; 2) His continued in His Church through Word and Sacrament; and 3)
His return to judge the earth on the Last Day. The Scriptures and hymns of the season clearly
proclaim all three.

Advent remains an excellent time to start or to enhance family devotions. Many congregations and
organizations offer fine devotional booklets; using them turns us away from commercial excesses
and crass abuses of the time preceding Christmas.

Joining with Christians around the world, many families use a four-candled wreath, lighting a new
candle each week. Candles are usually 3 purple and 1 rose. Purple signifies repentance (on our
part) and royalty (of the coming Christ), rose shows the dawn of heaven's light. Lighting follows
the order "purple-purple-rose-purple." This comes from the penitential nature of the season,
where, after the "fast" is half-complete, a time of refreshment is offered. I sometimes refer to the
Third Sunday in Advent and the Fourth in Lent as "Lighten Up Sundays." The wreath actually
began as a home devotional aid and much later moved into many of our churches. Our
congregation also uses the Advent wreath as a visual aid to point to the coming Light of Christ.

Blue candles and church furnishings come from parts of Christendom which emphasize the Virgin
Mary, since blue is her traditional color. This color is also said to commemorate God's
faithfulness to an unfaithful people. Still other parts of Christendom use white or red candles.

On Christmas Eve, a some light a white (Christ) candle. Many keep the wreath, replacing the
colored candles with white on Christmas Day until Epiphany (6 January). White is "God's color,"
denoting His holiness. Using the wreath or colored candles in various arrangements during family
devotions and congregational worship is one way of focusing attention on God and His Word,
adding the benefit of attracting our children to this special time.

Ask the Pastor, © 2004 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality, including this disclaimer,
by anyone, provided that no profit is generated by said republication and redistribution. Translations
into other languages should similarly note the United States and any appropriate international
copyrights, as well as God's Scriptural injunctions concerning the property of others.

Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of the book
~What Do Lutherans Believe.~