The Drive-In Christian
Church celebrates Advent beginning four weeks
before the Sunday before Christmas. 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.
With the beginning of the season of Advent, we
begin a new liturgical year. The First Sunday of
Advent is therefore the Church's "New Year's
Day".
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Sunday begin
at sundown of the day before when the faithful
celebrate First Vespers. Advent begins the
Christmas cycle.
Historically, the primary sanctuary 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. This point’s 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. 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
The Advent wreath
is an increasingly popular symbol of the
beginning of the Church year in many churches as
well as homes. It is a circular evergreen wreath
(real or artificial) with five candles, four
around the wreath and one in the center. Since
the wreath is symbolic and a vehicle to tell the
Christmas story, there are various ways to
understand the symbolism. The exact meaning
given to the various aspects of the wreath is
not as important as the story to which it
invites us to listen, and participate.
The Drive-In Christian Church as a Unique Advent
wreath with our 5 feet high candles that burn
for the community to see all during Advent..
The
circle of the wreath
reminds us of God Himself, His
eternity and endless mercy,
which has no beginning or end.
The
green of the wreath
speaks of the hope that we have
in God, the hope of newness, of
renewal, of eternal life.
Candles
symbolize the light of God
coming into the world through
the birth of His son. The
four outer candles
represent the period of waiting
during the four Sundays of
Advent, which themselves
symbolize the four centuries of
waiting between the prophet
Malachi and the birth of Christ.
he
light of the candles
itself becomes an important
symbol of the season. The light reminds us that
Jesus is the light of the world that comes into
the darkness of our lives to bring newness,
life, and hope. It also reminds us that we are
called to be a light to the world as we reflect
the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6).
The progression in the lighting of the candles
symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting
experience. As the candles are lighted over the
four week period, it also symbolizes the
darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and
the shadows of sin falling away as more and more
light is shed into the world. The flame of each
new candle reminds the worshippers that
something is happening, and that more is yet to
come. Finally, the light that has come into the
world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is
lighted at Christmas, and The worshippers rejoice over the
fact that the promise of long
ago has been realized
The
first candle is
traditionally the candle of
Expectation
or
Hope
(or in some traditions,
Prophecy). This draws attention
to the anticipation of the
coming of an Anointed One, a
Messiah, that weaves its way
like a golden thread through Old
Testament history. As God’s
people were abused by power
hungry kings, led astray by
self-centered prophets, and
lulled into apathy by
half-hearted religious leaders,
there arose a longing among some
for God to raise up a new king
who could show them how to be
God’s people. They yearned for a
return of God’s dynamic presence
in their midst
The
light of the candles
itself becomes an important
symbol of the season. The
light reminds us that Jesus is
the light of the world that comes into the
darkness of our lives to bring newness, life,
and hope. It also reminds us that we are called
to be a light to the world as we reflect the
light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6). The
progression in the lighting of the candles
symbolizes the various aspects of our waiting
experience. As the candles are lighted over the
four week period, it also symbolizes the
darkness of fear and hopelessness receding and
the shadows of sin falling away as more and more
light is shed into the world. The flame of each
new candle reminds the worshippers that
something is happening, and that more is yet to
come. Finally, the light that has come into the
world is plainly visible as the Christ candle is
lighted at Christmas, and worshippers rejoice
over the fact that the promise of long ago has
been realized
The themes of advent
change from year to year. t this year the four
are all based on the central theme of hope.
These words for each Sunday In order
Hospitality, Forgiveness, Justice, & Covenant
all of these are tied into Hope.