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The Lighting of The Bethlehem Candle – (purple) the candle of peace – Luke 3:4-6

As we re-light the first purple candle, we remember the meaning of the word “advent” is “coming” or “visit”! We are preparing for the Advent of Christ at Christmas; walking through those historical steps, and taking our time so we can understand and cherish every memory of them.

  • We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah to save, forgive and restore.
  • We remember our own need for a Savior to save us from our sins and to restore our broken relationship with God.
  • We are reminded of our hope for the second coming of Christ and to prepare our hearts for His soon return.

By lighting one candle each week, we pause to think upon the birth of Christ, event by event. Last week we focused on the prophecies regarding His coming; how many of those prophecies were fulfilled in His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection, and how the rest of them will be fulfilled when He returns. Seeing how God kept His promise to the people of Israel encourages us to believe God will keep His promises to us. Today, we focus on the coming of Christ, who brings us peace.  As we light the Bethlehem candle and read the Holy Scriptures, may our joy over our Lord’s first coming overflow our hearts, and may our anticipation for Christ’s second coming be renewed.

  • Read Psalm 130:1-8
  • Read Jeremiah 31:31-34
  • Read Luke 1:68-79

We light this candle because, like God’s people centuries ago, we also need a Savior who will forgive our sins. The purple color reminds us of the seriousness of our sin and our great need for God’s forgiveness.

Prayer of Hope

Dear God, as we light this candle, we recognize our sin, our need for a savior, and Jesus Christ as the Savior we need. We long to present ourselves to You in His pure righteousness alone.

 

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah—
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34