The First Week of Advent – The Candle of Hope

Hope is always tied together with the answer to a question, problem or need. In the big question, what Jesus did for us was take upon Himself the punishment for the sin invasion which had affected humankind.

Most Bible translations share Isaiah 53:5 pretty much like this, "But He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes, we are healed."

It's pretty clear: God's idea of perfect or perfected is different from our own. We are not able to be perfect and God is fully aware of this, yet it was His original goal. So what does perfect mean? One person has one idea and another something else, and God still another. Still, have you truly given thought to HOW different it really is? It's not just an issue of orders of magnitude or finer or more detail; it's actually an entirely different concept than what we hold.

Much of our difficulty and sense of not being enough in life comes in the struggle to be "better." Certainly, in some senses we get it, like not being addicted to something, or putting on airs which comes from comparing ourselves with others or what we think we should be, or craving power or money. However, what does God look at, and so what should we, when we seek to be "better" than we are? It's not just the removal of the behaviour of sin; there's something more, something different. There is an elemental change needed in our lives and in our understanding of God's goal in our life. Interestingly, God, in fact, doesn't want to always erase evidence of the past; just look at the scars He carries forever. That's a choice. Yet, these scars contain no damage, sin or harm any longer.

As we look upon Jesus' scars, we need to see the beauty of God's acceptance of us in the distorted condition He found us in. There is a saying, "God forgives you enough to accept you the way you are but loves you enough not to leave you that way." What we were intended to be before mankind's fall, was scarred as a result of sin, distorting us. God punished that sin for what it did to us. Jesus accepted the transference of our punishment to himself. Each whip mark Jesus received is a scar which is us. Now, in His identification with us, God's love flows through these scars. These scars contain no damage, sin or harm any longer. We are those beautiful scars He carries, a permanent fixture within the body of Christ, excepted and loved.

The word Hope, in Biblical terms, means an absolute certainty of something; this absoluteness comes from God, as that is His way. So, this is not trying to be sure in our own efforts, but rather, is the heart experience of recognizing something is sure, in and of itself, and so it carries with it 'Expectation.' The Bible shares it this way, 'Hope doesn't disappoint us' (Romans 5:5).

There is no aspect of the wishy-washy sense, in which we hear people use the word hope in secular life. It's too bad; it could give people a greater sense of security in their lives if they got a true understanding of the word.

This week is a time to begin Advent preparations, as part of the Christmas season.

The promised coming of the Messiah (or Christ) in Old Testament scriptures was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus into this world, bringing this Hope. Hence, the connection of Advent, which in Latin is "adventus," meaning "arrival," speaking of His physical birth. This is when He arrived, as God in human form, to save us from our sinful condition, if we will receive the gift of His life, into ourselves. Additionally, it's also an anticipation regarding His second coming again, to change the 'order' of all things.

As a symbol of this eternal life, we have a purple coloured Advent/Christmas wreath, shaped as a circle which never has an end (John 3:16). This represents eternity and everlasting life given through Christ's dying in our place, then His rising to share His eternal life with us. The wreath is purple for royalty, repentance and fasting.

The royalty speaks of the kingship of Christ and His entitlement to rule, the repentance of the change to our hearts when inviting Christ in, and fasting of the refocusing of our earthly lives to God's eternal priorities. This is how the Messiah saves us from sin in this world; it's from our inner condition.(Isaiah 9:6-7)

This first week of Advent and it's Sunday mark the beginning of the season in the Christian liturgical calendar. On the first Sunday, there is lit, this candle of Hope, aka the "prophecy candle." It's there to remind us, God always fulfills prophecies from His Word; these are about Jesus. Each candle, one of four surrounding the wreath, symbolizes another reflection around the coming of Jesus. The other three candles are lit in successive weeks of Advent, leading to the celebration of Christ's birth, Christmas. A white candle is in the center, to be lit on the evening of the Christmas Eve service.

Jesus can be your internal candle of hope and doesn't disappoint. Each of us can take the time to reflect on the meaning of Christ-mas. The anticipation of Advent, of Christ's entry into our personal lives within, is the most important thing we will ever consider. He changes everything and yet desires we still live out our lives here to pass the anticipation on, to pay it forward.

Happy Seasoning

and Merry Christmas!