Advent is a season of waiting, expecting, and hoping. The word “advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming”. For Christians, celebrating Advent helps to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the “coming” of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. The Advent Season begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which starts this year on December 1.
While the focus of Advent is upon the birth of Jesus Christ and the reality of His first coming, the actions and events used in celebrating our Lord’s birth also remind us and assure us of His promise to return. However, His second coming will not be as a baby boy with no place to lay His head, but as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, having been crowned by God the Father with all glory, honor, and praise. Every true believer lives each day in the glorious expectation of that second “advent” of our Lord.
This year, our theme is based on the prophetic promise of Isaiah 9:6:
This is the Advent symbol of Jesus from Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 22:13.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, “says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The blue letter is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph, and the purple is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, Omega. Not only does this symbolize the One who has come and will come again, it also emphasizes the continuity of God’s work in history throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
Jesus is the Beginning and the End, and He has been given authority over all things in-between. If Jesus has a plan for human history, and He is directing the path of human events toward that final goal, then every human life has a meaning and a purpose, and our assignment is to fully surrender our lives unto His Lordship. Jesus did come, in the fullness of time, just as God the Father said He would. Jesus will come, just as He said He would, and those who received Him as their Savior and Lord will serve Him as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The Advent wreath is a wonderful tool to help parents tell the real Christmas story to their children. The wreath is an evergreen circle with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center. (For safety, battery-operated colored lights can be used)
The circle of the wreath reminds us of God’s eternity – He has no beginning or end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of everlasting life.
Just as a lighted candle overcomes the darkness of a room, the five candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son. The four outer candles represent the waiting period during the four Sundays of Advent, which symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. As one new candle is lit each Sunday, we are reminded that the demonic darkness of this world can only be removed through the Light of the world, whose name is Jesus.
- The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah., (Isaiah 9:6, Romans 15:12-13)
- The second candle, also purple, represents peace. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. (Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke 3:4-6)
- The third pink candle symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical color for joy. This reminds us of the joy the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that floods the soul of those who receive Him as their Savior and Lord. (Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 2:7-15)
- The fourth candle is purple which symbolizes love. It is called the “Angel’s Candle,” representing the message of the angelic host on that night in Bethlehem, “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward men.” (Luke 1:45-55, John 3:16-17)
- The fifth candle is the white. It is called the “Christ’s Candle,” representing the light that God the Son brought into the world when He was born. This candle is to be lit either on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. (John 1:4-5)
As we see our world drowning in chaos and confusion, and with wickedness and evil unashamedly manifested before us, let us begin this advent season with a sense of repentance and contrition for the unconfessed sins in our own heart and then for God’s people around the world, that believers would renew their love for the Lord Jesus, and unbelievers would see their need of a Savior; the One whose birth even they will celebrate, albeit in selfishness.
While this book was written and assembled by Heritage Baptist Church, Perry, Georgia, the material and format were influenced by The Book of Common Prayer (2019),
Our Advent Theme for 2024 is “Immanuel,” a Hebrew name that means “God with us.” However, seven centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah used four names to describe the character and ministry of the Messiah.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Having heard the passage many times, and having heard many sermons to expose and explain it, modern Christians have no problem seeing how the four names were manifested in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. However, when Jesus was born, the Jewish religious leaders would have had a hard time ascribing such lofty epithets to anyone, much less a child, and they still have that problem today, which is why they refuse to believe Jesus was the God-promised Messiah.
In his prophetic vision, Isaiah described an event that would happen in the future, but in words as if the event had already happened. To understand this, go back to verse 2 where the prophet said those who had dwelt in the darkness about salvation, and who were, at that time still walking in the darkness, would continue to walk in that darkness, but would soon be awakened by a great light. A child would be born, who would be the very Son of God, and one day, the government of the whole world would be placed upon His shoulders. That’s the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
Over the next four weeks, we want to look at the four names Isaiah used to describe this “child,” this “Son,” – characteristics that would prove Him to be the Messiah God promised, and the Savior of sinners the world needed.
Wonderful Counsellor
Without getting too deep into the original languages, in our bibles, the Hebrew word “Pele Yoetz” is translated as wonderful, and without question, Jesus was the most compassionate counselor. However, in the original Hebrew, “Pele” means “Wonder” – so Isaiah’s first name for Jesus is “Wonder Counselor.” Although this prophecy is about Jesus, the very Son of God, in Isaiah 28:29, the prophet used the same terms to describe God Himself: “He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” Therefore, the prophet Isaiah said, this glorious “light” that would soon dispel the gloom of darkness that had encompassed the Israelites for many generations would be “Immanuel” – God with us!
God’s counsel is rooted in His perfect knowledge and wisdom. However, in Colossians 2:3, the Apostle Paul said in Jesus, “are hidden all the treasures and wisdom and knowledge.” And all four of the gospel writers gave us example after example of His ability to adapt that wisdom and knowledge to the specific needs of the people He encountered, or those who asked for His help.
For example, Jesus used a much different tone in His counsel to the woman at the well than He did with the blind man at the pool, or with Jairus, whose little daughter was about to die. Notice how He addressed Mary Magdalene at the tomb much differently than He did Thomas in the upper room. Some say Jesus was even cold toward Lazarus’ death, but then He wept when He saw how her brother’s death caused Mary so much agony. Whatever our need, as God of very God, Jesus is still our “Wonder-Counselor!”