Advent is a special time of year for my family.
We prepare our hearts and minds to worship our Savior in this special season as we prepare the home. Each year we make a new Advent calendar and fluff the Advent wreath. I look for the best deals on the purple and pink candles, and find just the right chocolates and candy canes for the children to munch on after we read Scripture together.
Advent: (N) the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event;
the coming or second coming of Christ
I have grown to love this extra special time to celebrate Advent while growing a legacy of worship with my family. I would like to share with you our favorite readings for the candle lighting as well as a short follow on devotion. I pray that the hope of this season of light fills your hearts with peace and joy and turns your eyes to the one who came down to earth to give us these things.
The Prophecy Candle or Candle of Hope
Romans 15:12-13 NIV
And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope.”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have hope because God keeps His promises to us. We see a thread from the beginning of time through the time that Jesus walked this earth. Prophecy fulfilled from the beginning. This is the Root of Jesus, a lineage through the line of David and the tribe of Judah. Our hope comes from God.
More Readings:
Isaiah 9:6:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 11:1-10 NIV The Branch From Jesse
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” — “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
The Bethlehem Candle or the Candle of Preparation
Luke 3:4-6 NIV
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
God kept His promise of a Savior being born in the town of Bethlehem. From the beginning when sin entered the world, God formed a rescue plan that took action when He came as a man, born to a humble couple in a small town long ago. We ask the Lord to help prepare our hearts and minds as we prepare for Him.
More Readings:
Matthew 2:4-6 NIV
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
The Shepherd Candle or the Candle of Joy
Luke 2:7-15 NIV
…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
The angels sang a message of joy! Let us remember to keep that joy in our hearts throughout the season and into the new year!
More Readings:
Psalm 80:1-3 NIV
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Isaiah 40:11 NIV
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
The Angel Candle or the Candle of Love
John 3:16-17 NIV
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
The angels sang a love song announcing the arrival of the king. The good news arrived and it could not be contained. We should challenge ourselves on a daily basis to share this good news with family, friends and neighbors.
More Readings:
Psalm 89:5 NIV
The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
Luke 2:8-14 NIV
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
The Christ Candle
John 1:29 NIV
John Testifies About Jesus
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
The white candle not only reminds us that Jesus was the spotless lamb without blemish, but He also comes to wash us white as snow. He came to wash away our sins through His birth, death and resurrection.
More Readings:
Galatians 4:4-5 NIV But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
1 Peter 1:13 NIV Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming
Learning the prophecy around the foretelling of our Messiah and the fulfillment of that prophecy has become an important thread in our faith walk. Click To Tweet
Learning the prophecy around the foretelling of our Messiah and the fulfillment of that prophecy has become an important thread in our faith walk. During Advent we take a moment each day to reflect upon the faithfulness of our God as he came down as a humble man.
The thread starts at the beginning, Day One, when He created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1) and was confirmed in this presence as John wrote the words:
The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 NIV
I pray that the hope of this season of light fills your hearts with peace and joy and turns your eyes to the one who came down to earth to give us these things. Click To Tweet
I love celebrating Advent, but I don’t feel prepared this year. We’ve been pretty busy, but Advent invites us to slow down and focus on Christ. Most of the time I can’t find the right color candles so I’ll just use white ones for each week and then a red one for Christmas Eve. Thanks for sharing this list of Scripture readings and notes! Blessings to you!
Last year I couldn’t find any purple or pink candles locally and ended up using white tapers instead as well and one white pillar in the middle. This year I ended up ordering them early before I forgot, even though the white ones worked well. I have been busy so far this year, and I hope to slow down as Advent starts.
Many blessings to you.
Every year I think about how the next year I’ll find candles early, but then forget all about it. 🙂
Same here.
Lovely resource! I loved reading all the verses. thanks for sharing. 🙂
What a great resource! I was planning on doing a prophecy/fulfillment of prophesy theme for at least part of December on my daily devotional feature. I will be sure to refer back to this as I put the finishing touches on it. 🙂
Such a great resource! I pinned this one. Thanks!