What is Advent?
The Church, from its earliest beginnings to present day, has set aside specific times throughout the year to reflect solely on Christ’s sacrifice. Traditionally, Advent and Lent were observed in much the same way; a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord through fasting and repentance of sins. The seasons focused not only on Christ’s time on earth but also on His Second Coming. As advent falls on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas, the western church has used Advent to focus upon the preparation of Christ’s birth foretold through the prophecies; while the Eastern Church retains the original forty-day period of fasting and prayerful reflection.
When is Advent?
Advent begins on the Fourth Sunday before Christmas. Many churches use the first Sunday of advent as a celebration time and traditionally call this the “hanging of the greens” when the church is decorated with evergreen boughs to signify eternal life.
The Wreath
The shape and elements present in the advent wreath tell the story of salvation from beginning to end. The circular shape of the advent wreath is symbolic of God’s eternal nature as He has no beginning and no end. Accents used in the advent wreath signify the ministry of Jesus Christ and the work done on Calvary. Laurel signifies victory over death. The green Pine and Yew represent eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Healing and strength is depicted by the Cedar bough. The thorns of the Holly are reminiscent of the Crown of thorns worn for our Salvation and the resurrection and life is shown in the pine cones, nuts and seeds.
The Candles
Like the greenery, the advent candles show unique significance. The Light from the advent candles symbolizes the Light of the World. The Four advent Candles represent hope, peace, joy and love with the center and fifth advent candle signifying the Light of Jesus as an answer to our prayers. Each of the four advent candles represent s 1,000 years thus depicting the 4000 years from Adam to Christ’s Nativity (birth). Traditionally the color of royalty, purple, is used to welcome the Advent of the King; as the color also represents suffering it is used during Lent and the Holy Week. Thus tying the complete story of Christ in which the Nativity cannot be separated from the finished work of Calvary. The third advent candle is unique in that it traditionally is rose or pink in color. Many churches now use varying colors to distinguish Advent from Lent. Blue is now used to represent the Night Sky. Green Candles for everlasting life and Red to signify the cleansing of sins with the white candle in the middle to emphasize Isaiah – “though your sins be as scarlet they shall be made white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18
Free Advent Backgrounds
We at ImageVine believe you will love our products, this is why we have provided a collection of free Advent Backgrounds and Free Advent images. These free Christmas advent backgrounds can be used in your advent presentations or as advent PowerPoint backgrounds. All Christian Advent Christmas images are available in HD (1920x1080) in jpeg format.
Advent Bible Verses
Hope – the first week of Advent.
[A] Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 17:1-22)
- - God’s promise became mankind’s hope. [B] Moses (Ex. 1:15-2:10) - -
the promise “saved” in times of adversity. [C] The Light (Is. 9:2) - - a
people who walked in darkness saw a light.
Peace – the second week of Advent.
[A] Isaiah’s prophecy (Is. 11:6-9)
- - a wolf living with a lamb is “peace past understanding”. [B] John
the baptizer (Mt. 3:1-12; Mk. 1:1-8; Lk. 3:1-18) - - the pathway to
peace-making is hard because we must be changed.
Joy – the third week of Advent.
[A] Joy comes through Shalom (Is.
61:1-3a) - - the Hebrew word shalom is often translated as “peace”, but
the Hebrew understanding of shalom includes all our notions of peace,
justice, health and harmony for creation. Jesus chose this Isaiah
passage to describe his own ministry of joy. [B] Elizabeth and Zechariah
(Luke 1:5-24 and 57-80) - - Like Abraham and Sarah, Elizabeth &
Zechariah were promised a child (which brought great joy).
Love – the fourth week of Advent.
[A] God with us (Is. 7:14) - - The
Child’s name, Emmanuel, is a promise of love that is present with us.
[B] Mary and Joseph (Lk. 1:26-56 and Mt. 1:18-25) - - Joseph’s love for
(pregnant) Mary is a human expression of God’s love for us.
The Christ Candle – Christmas eve
The Light has Come – “Arise ,
Shine for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”
(Isaiah 60:1)
Advent Backgrounds
The Advent Series is a beautiful array of motions and stills craft fully designed to help in the reflection of Jesus Christ and His Sacrifice. Each Christmas advent collection offers a unique perspective of the Advent candles designed to be used for each week of the advent season, depicting the progressive lighting of the candles.
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