Advent Candles
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
The fifth candle in our advent wreath is the Christ candle. This candle represents Jesus, the light of the world, arriving in the flesh to take on the task of fulfilling the law on our behalf doing what we could not do on our own.
Have you ever tried to walk through a dark room only to be tripped by something you couldn’t see? As law breakers, we could do nothing but walk around blindly in the darkness of our sins getting tripped up on a regular basis. Try as we might, we could not live up to the perfect law that God has laid out for us. However, with Jesus, the Light, taking away the darkness, we no longer walk in darkness but in the light of life. Like turning on the light in a dark room to guide us through unseen perils, Jesus lights the way back to an eternal and complete relationship with God. This is what our celebration of Advent and Christmas is all about: the restoration of peace and good will with God, purchased with the blood of Christ.
When we light the Christ candle, let us remember the Light of the World made manifest in Jesus. Let us find hope in the assurance of the prophecies fulfilled. Let us find peace in our Bethlehem-born Prince of Peace. Let us rejoice exceedling as the shepherds did. Let us share the great love that God has bestowed on us just as the angels shared it those many years ago.
Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
radiant beams from Thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
The Lutheran Hymnal 646:3