Dear PPPC –

Most attribute the tradition of the Advent wreath to a shelter for orphans and neglected children in 1839. Each night of Advent, a German pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern gathered the kids around him to light a candle, tell them a story, and pray. Imagine their excitement as the candle pushed back the darkness more and more, one night at a time. Any child called John or Joan would be the first to help light a candle as they heard about John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus. Visitors who came to the orphanage loved the wheel-shaped chandelier, and so the custom spread as churches and families adopted it, though the number of candles was eventually reduced to four, for each Sunday of Advent, and one on Christmas Day.

The promise of Advent is that there is a light coming who overcomes the darkness. One night this week (perhaps even tonight), take time to notice the lights of Christmas…light a candle in your home, drive around and look at the Christmas lights, go outside (yes, in the cold) and look at the stars and moon. Get curious about the contrast. Take a moment to look around at what is illumined by the light. How do the lights make you feel as you stand in the night? What do they illumine? What does this light reveal to you about Jesus as the light shining in the darkness (John 1:5)?

I hope to see you in worship this Advent Season, in person or online.

In the name of the One who taught us to love one another,
Pastor Molly