Pilgrim Place

The Advent wreath is a symbol of watchfulness and increasing joy as the birth of Jesus approaches. The circular form of the wreath symbolizes eternity or life without end. The candles remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World who brought light and life to a dark world (see John 1:4-5). We light a new candle on each of the four Sundays of Advent. As the light grows, so does our anticipation and joy.While we used to use purple, the traditional color of royalty, during both Advent and Lent, here at Pilgrim (and elsewhere) the color has been changed to blue. Blue represents hope and anticipation. While Advent, along with Lent, is a time of repentance and devotion, Advent is filled with the hopeful anticipation of Jesus’ arrival at Christmas.

That joyful hope is best represented by the pink candle, which is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, to symbolize this joyful and hopeful expectation. The other three candles can represent hope, peace and love, respectively. In the center of the wreath is a large white candle — the Christ candle — which we light on Christmas Eve. White represents the purity of Jesus.

At home, many families observe regular devotional times around the wreath. The practice builds family memories and develops Christmas customs that are likely to pass from generation to generation.