The Advent Wreath
History of the Advent Wreath:
The word advent comes from the Latin word “advenio” which means “to come” or “coming”. Advent is a
time of preparation and expectation as we celebrate the birth of Jesus as both God and man, and His future
return as King of Kings! Just as the prophets of the Old Testament prepared God’s people for Christ’s arrival,
we as Jesus followers can prepare our hearts during advent to celebrate Christ’s arrival. Often the true meaning of
Christmas is lost amid the tinsel and glitter of the holiday season.
The Advent Wreath goes way back to Roman times and probably even earlier. Advent typically starts the fourth
Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas day. Historically the candles have no more meaning than a
countdown. People gave meaning to them. You will generally see the meaning of the candles to be Love, Joy, Peace,
Hope and Christmas. If you see or hear a different meaning it is not wrong, just different. Generally there are 3
purple candles, 1 pink candle and 1 white candle. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to
sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior. The purple candles in particular symbolize
the prayer, penance, preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The pink or rose colored
candle has a strange origin. Long ago, the Pope had a custom of giving someone a rose on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
Somewhere in there the custom was added for the third Sunday in advent. The Pope no longer gives roses, but the
tradition of the rose or pink color candle stuck. The white candle in the middle represents Jesus the light of the
world. The evergreen has a traditional meaning of the continuous life we have in Jesus. The circle of the wreath has
no beginning or end which symbolizes the eternity of God.
How to use the Advent Wreath:
We don’t want this to be something so structured that it just becomes a routine to do every year at Christmas. We
want this to be something your family can do together to learn more about why we celebrate Christmas, and to really
prepare you to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. So as your children grow, look up different scripture verses as
they ask more questions each year. Feel free to do some extra research on the history behind the Advent Wreath.
Make it personal to your family. Create your own traditions with it. But for this year, feel free to use this just as it is
listed…it is a great start! And if it works for several years for your family, feel free to use it again and again!
First Sunday of advent:
 Light purple candle (Hope)
 Read Romans 15:12-13 or Psalm 25:5 or…something you look up about Hope
 Pray something like this- Jesus thank you for the hope we have in you. Life is hard sometimes, but with you
as our Savior we have nothing to fear. Amen.
Second Sunday of advent:
 Light purple candle (Peace)
 Read Isaiah 9:6-7 or John 14:27 or…
 Pray something like this- God help us to have a peaceful Christmas. We don’t want to get caught up in the
hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and miss quiet peaceful time with you. Will you help us guard our
time during this busy season? Thank you. Amen
Third Sunday of advent:
 Light pink candle (Love)
 Read John 3:16 or…
 Pray something like- God we can’t believe you love us so much that you chose to have Jesus be born, live a
human life here on earth, and then die on the cross for us. Thank you for loving us even when we mess up.
We love you. Amen.
Fourth Sunday of advent:
 Light purple candle (Joy)
 Read Isaiah 35:10 or Luke 2:7-15 or…
 Pray something like- God help us to have joy in you. Help us to focus on things that are important to you,
and not get frustrated or upset about things that don’t matter in your kingdom. We thank you for the joy
that you bring in our lives. Amen.
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day:
 Light white candle (Jesus or Christmas)
 Read: Luke 2:1-20 (The story of Christmas)
 Pray something like- God it is truly incredible what you have done for us in sending your son Jesus to save us.
Help us to honor you this Christmas. We love you and thank you. Amen.
Each week when you light that weeks candle you can light the weeks before as well. Our prayer is that this Christmas
you will use the Advent wreath to prepare both your heart and your home for celebrating what this season is all
about: the coming (birth) of Jesus, the greatest Christmas gift.