First Sunday of Advent -- Home Liturgy

Advent 2007

Christ the Word would like to encourage her families to celebrate the season of Advent. Beginning on the 4th Sunday before Christmas (December 2nd this year), Advent inaugurates the Christian year and is a time of looking and longing for the arrival of Christmas Day, when we celebrate the virgin birth of our Lord, the Savior of the World. Moreover, just as Old Testament Christians looked toward the first advent of their Messiah, we now look to our Lord’s bodily return at the second advent.

Each Sunday we will be providing a short devotion for you to use as part of your family worship. The following may be used with or without the traditional Advent wreath, but the candles help remind us that the Light of the world has come to save mankind. Traditionally the wreath has five candles: three purple and one pink candle surrounding a white candle in the middle.

First Sunday of Advent, December 2

Light purple candle

Explanation of first candle: The first candle is the candle of hope. As we look upon the light of the first candle, we remember the Old Testament prophecies about a Messiah who would come to save His people. This promise from God filled His children with hope. We also look forward with hope to the time Jesus will return to glorify His chosen ones.

Prayer: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through Him who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10 & Revlation 21:1-8

Hymn: “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”