Not everyone celebrates Advent, so not everyone is aware of what it means and what it stands for. Advent is a four week celebration that observes the coming of Christ. Each candle has a special meaning- advent not only refers to the birth of Christ, but also new life fromSalvation with Christ and also His second coming.
The second Sunday of Advent is upon us. Last week, we discussed how the first candle of advent stands for promise and the hope of the coming Christ. The second Sunday of advent focuses upon preparation, or preparing a way for the Lord. According to Crosswalks, The second candle represents faith and is called “Bethlehem’s Candle.” The Old Testament foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, which is also the birthplace of King David.
The associated Scriptures are as follows:
Isaiah 40:3-5:
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
I tend to associate this set of Scriptures with preparing your hearts and minds for Jesus. It’s easy during the holiday season to lose focus of what’s truly important. It’s easy to get caught up in everything we have to do and everywhere we have to be. It’s easy to get caught up in the commercialism. I think the second week of advent is a time to refocus ourselves on Christ and what Christmas truly means for us.
As we observe the second Sunday of Advent, let’s ignore the hustle and bustle and focus on the calm…and the coming of our blessed Savior.