The “pink” candle on the Advent wreath is always a subject of questions and excitement. Children and adults want to know, “Why is one candle pink?” and “When do we light that one”? In a bit of reading this week, I was reminded about the color purple, the color of the other candles lit in weeks 1,2, and 4, ahead of lighting the white Christ candle on Christmas Eve/Day. Purple is a color of penitence, our liturgical color for Lent and Advent. We spend time during both seasons reflecting on baptism and what it means to die to sin and rise to a new life with Christ. The purple color signifies royalty, repentance, and suffering.
And yet the church recognizes that in the midst of melancholy, we are a people of great joy. “When true repentance occurs, joyful obedience is the result; thus, there is joy to be celebrated even in the most penitential times.”* We have Sundays in Lent and Advent to celebrate our joy, to “rejoice always, and, again, I say rejoice.”
My hope for you this Advent season is to find joy in spending time rejoicing as we await the birth of the Christ Child. Light a candle in your home, gather with family and friends, and experience this season as one longing for the Light of the World. When we sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. . . “ I pray you will truly know joy in Christ’s birth.
Blessings to you this Advent!
Peace,
Tara
*an article from Seedbed.com was helpful in this writing