Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

The Christian Advent season is the four Sundays preceding Christmas and either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  The advent wreath has four or five candles.  There are three purple candles, one pink candle on the wreath and some include a white candle in the middle.

                                    -----------------------C A N D L E-----------------------

ADVENT                    COLOR           NAME                        REPRESENTS

1st Sunday                  Purple              Prophecy                     Hope

2nd Sunday                 Purple              Bethlehem                   Love

3rd Sunday                  Pink                 Shepherd’s                  Joy

4th Sunday                  Purple              Angel’s                       Peace

Christmas Eve or

  Christmas Day          White              Christ                          Purity

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

I cannot even begin to imagine what this will be like.  When I look back, there were days I just would have been thrilled if the kids could be in the same room without a battle.  When I look at today, I wonder what a world at peace would feel like.  Peace … Peace … Peace.

Peace … Peace … Peace.  Quietly say peace three times.  Slowly.  As if all anger is carried way.  All bitterness.  All hate.

Try it again, but this time close your eyes and take a deep breath, as you silently exhale the word peace. 

That is the feeling I wish was in our lives.  In our world.  A calm.  A quiet.  Peace.

The angels proclaimed peace:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:13-14

Jesus explained peace:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Peace did come to us that day.  Sadly, the world has not accepted this gift.  So how do we have peace?  We have peace IN Jesus.  There will be trouble.  But, our peace comes in how we handle that trouble.   We can hold on tightly to the trouble.  The anger.  The bitterness.  The hate.  OR --

We can take heart and know a little child will lead them and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Peace … Peace … Peace.  Quietly say peace three times.  Slowly.  As if all anger is carried way.  All bitterness.  All hate.

Try it again, but this time close your eyes and take a deep breath, as you silently exhale the word peace.  As the song says, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

THIS CHRISTMAS, MAY YOU FIND HOPE AND LOVE AND JOY AND PEACE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS