Advent Colors:
Advent is commemorated by various shades of color, each hue a different spiritual aspect connecting us to Christ and building a strong foundation in faith and hope.
Purple symbolizes repentance and fasting. It is also a symbol of royalty, demonstrating the anticipation and reception of the coming King, the Messiah - Christ. Some churches, use Sarum Blue instead of purple to distinguish Advent from Lent. This is a trend that is occurring in many Anglican churches (history - http://www.christchurchsavannah.org/2012/11/sarum-blue-and-the-season-of-advent/)
Pink/Rose: is used during the third Sunday of Advent. It represents joy or rejoicing. Pink marks the shift from repentance and fasting to joy and celebration.
White is the center Advent candle, representing purity.
Advent Hymns:
Music sparks the soul to reflect in somber and joyful revelry.
Link to a list of Advent Hymns to enlighten the Advent journey:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/advent_hymns_and_carols.htm
One popular and inspiring Advent hymn is 'Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel.' by John Mason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin.
Link to video of this hymn:
http://youtu.be/p9Z-4H39BCM
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel! Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel! Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel! Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel! Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
~
Another hymn that stirs my soul is 'God is Working his Purpose Out' (Ainger/Shaw)
"God is working His purpose out
As year succeeds to year;
God is working his purpose out,
And the time is drawing near;
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled
With the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea."
When I am hiking or preparing for any sort of journey, be it a trip or studying for a test, plotting out a book and writing a rough draft, I always get bogged down with details and timelines, worry and fear. It is those dark patches that God reveals himself in a new light, a peace that surpasses all understanding and a constant hope that reminds me that God does have a purpose for all his creatures and that he is constantly lighting the way for us to be restored into his fold. Advent is a journey that forces us to embrace hope our of fear, travel to the light, instead of hiding in our dark places. We suffer in lessons of mistakes we have made, only to find God is working through us and the coming of Christ offers us a new hope and a light that will never we extinguished.
http://youtu.be/Kzf5-cVHfvE
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