Advent wreath | Try 2 Focus

This week the fourth candle of the Advent wreath is lit.

Česky: Klasický adventní věnec na stůl s gaude...

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Candle Four: Represents the light we once extinguished as God breathed his last breath on the cross. Bruised, beaten, and nailed to the cross, Jesus summoned his last ounce of life to tell us,“It is finished.” God’s rescue was complete. His covenant with his chosen was restored. Forgiveness so complete, we are forgiven even when we do not know not what we do.

The Gospel was always about God pursuing us, providing a way back into relationship with him and fulfilling the covenants he made with Adam, Noah, Moses, Jacob and now all of mankind. He was sent to restore us to himself. The culmination of God’s love for us cost him his son. In this plan of rescue, God had to forsake his own son and turn his back on what we had done to him as Jesus became obedient unto the death we deserved.

From the manger to the cross, all Jesus had accomplished culminated with those three words, “It is finished.” How awesome that Jesus was willing to live the life we could never live and pay the price we could never pay so that we can be in communion with him forever. We light this candle in remembrance of God’s sacrifice for us and the restoration of the plan we had with God in the garden of Eden.

Go to the source for Words of Promise.

Just what is the Advent wreath? (wordsofgrace.wordpress.com)
Lutheran Advent wreath (brvanlanen.wordpress.com)

Interesting the roots of the Advent wreath.

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The message of Advent is that since the time of the garden, God has been on a rescue mission. The Bible is the Gospel story of God pursuing us. He did not stop after man sinned and was cast out of the garden. He pursued Noah and saved his family. He did not stop with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or David. He is faithful and does not stop pursuing you when you become a Lutheran. Even when you daily chose sin and your own idols over him, or when you doubt his faithfulness, God is there calling you by name. He does not stop pursuing you if you are marginal in your faith, or if you hide your sin behind your outward works or disguise an empty heart of worship. Simply, he pursues you because he chose you. These candles can remind us of the covenant God has made with us and the promise of his faithfulness.

THE WREATH: The wreath itself is a circle. It begins with God creating us and loving us. In spite of that love, we choose our own gods and fall away. God pursues us, redeems us and restores us to himself and makes us new creatures. In adoration for all God has done, we worship and adore Christ and raise him above everything else in our lives. Our sin is eclipsed by the work of Christ with him in the center of our lives. Our sin no longer enslaves us; we are free to worship as God intended. Christ rules and reigns victorious.

Romans 8:37:No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Go to the source for some interesting history of the Advent wreath.