Saint Augustine’s Anglican Church

Cross and Flame Transparent__3_27_14Changed by God to Make a Difference for God
  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Clergy
    • Christian Education for Children
    • Anglican Church Service
    • Official Opening
    • St. Augustine
    • Who Is St. Augustine?: A Documentary
    • What is an Anglican?
    • Why Be Anglican?
  • Missions
    • Citizens for Humane Action
    • Faith Mission
    • Men’s Group
    • One Meal at a Time
    • Ronald McDonald House Charities
    • Anglican Prayer Beads
    • Victory Point Fellowship
    • W.A.R.M.
    • Worthington Christian Village
  • News
    • Calendar
    • Sermons
    • Fr. Kevin’s Blog
    • Daily Prayer Feed
    • Parish Report
  • Location
  • Contact
    • Prayer Request
    • Donate
You are here: Home / Advent / Seven Things About Advent You May Be Afraid to Ask!

November 27, 2018 By St. Augustine's

Seven Things About Advent You May Be Afraid to Ask!

Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us toward Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgment:

Every eye shall now behold him
robed in dreadful majesty. (Charles Wesley)

The following article was written for the members of CrossWalk, a non-denominational church, to explain the basics of Advent. Many of us Anglicans grew up in different denominations and may have similar questions.

Q: What is Advent?

  • In short, Advent is comprised of the four Sunday’s leading up to Christmas. It is a time to both reflect on the incarnation of Jesus, and also look ahead to his second coming.
  • Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical calendar for churches who follow liturgy. Liturgy is the prescribed readings that many churches follow for all worship experiences.

Q: Isn’t Advent for Catholics?

  • Catholics observe Advent, but so do many other faith traditions. Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and others from “high church” traditions typically participate in the season of Advent.
  • Because Advent is a season to celebrate the incarnation of Jesus and anticipate his second coming, it is for all people who follow Jesus, not one particular faith tradition.

Q: Why are there so many scripture readings?

  • The readings are intended to tell part of the story of Jesus. Leading up to Christmas, many passages sound bleak and sad. That’s because Jesus came to bring light into a dark world. So those bleak and sad passages help us understand the level of darkness Jesus came to destroy.
  • The readings also help turn our attention forward to the day of Jesus’ second coming, when darkness will be destroyed once and for all.

Q: How are the scriptures chosen?

  • Each faith tradition chooses or creates something called a lectionary to follow. Lectionaries are collections of readings established by the faith tradition’s leaders, usually several centuries ago. During Advent, lectionaries generally draw from one Old Testament passage (usually a prophet), one Gospel passage, one later New Testament passage, and one Psalm.
  • At CrossWalk, we use the lectionary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (http://www.usccb.org/bible/liturgy/).

Q: What is the meaning behind the candles?

  • A different candle is lit each of the four weeks of Advent, and a fifth candle is lit on Christmas Day. Three of the candles are either purple or blue (at CrossWalk we choose blue, just because). One candle is pink. And the final candle – The Christ Candle – is white. The candles are traditionally placed inside a wreath.
  • The first candle – sometimes called The Prophecy Candle – represents HOPE and is blue.
  • The second candle – sometimes called The Bethlehem Candle – represents LOVE and is blue.
  • The third candle – sometimes called The Shepherd’s Candle – represents JOY and is pink.
  • The fourth candle – sometimes called The Angel’s Candle – represents PEACE and is blue.
  • The fifth candle – sometimes called The Christ Candle – represents JESUS and is white.

Q: What are the other readings for?

  • Advent liturgy includes more than just readings from scripture. There is a reading called The Preface, and a reading called The Collect.
  • The Preface is exactly what it sounds like – it is to be read before the scriptures.
  • The Collect is like a prayer. It contains: an invocation, an acknowledgment of the divinity of God, a petition, an aspiration for certain results, and a pleading.

Q: Why don’t we just call it “Christmas?”

  • Because Christmas and Advent are not the same. Advent focuses more on the need for incarnation, not just the fact of incarnation. Christmas is a celebration of God taking on flesh in the form of Jesus. Advent is an acknowledgment of the darkness that exists in our world, and our desperation for the light of Christ. Advent is the broader context for our Christmas celebrations.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Advent Tagged With: Advent, What is Advent

Events

  • Fellowship Night at Polaris California Pizza Kitchen on February 27, 2019 11:00 am
  • Ash Wednesday: Invitation to a Holy Lent on March 6, 2019 7:00 pm
  • Lent: Stations of the Cross on March 8, 2019 6:00 pm
  • Lent: Stations of the Cross on March 15, 2019 6:00 pm
  • Lent: Stations of the Cross on March 22, 2019 6:00 pm
  • Lent: Stations of the Cross on March 29, 2019 6:00 pm
  • Lent: Stations of the Cross on April 5, 2019 6:00 pm
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Podcast: Changed by God

Podcast: Changed by God

Subscribe to Our Podcast

Archives

Location

St. Augustine's Anglican Church
Ellsworth Chapel at Central College
975 South Sunbury Road
Westerville, OH 43081
http://staugustinesanglican.org

Worship Times

Sundays at 10:00am

Archives

Named by Feedspot One of the Top 75 Anglican Websites

Named by Feedspot One of the Top 75 Anglican Websites

St. Augustine’s Anglican Church

We believe we are changed by God to make a difference for God. St. Augustine's is Anglican in its design: rich in liturgy, Biblically-based preaching, traditional and contemporary music. We worship with a sense of mystery, contemplation, and majesty as we bring an ancient Christian faith to our world today.
SafeSubscribe with Constant Contact
For Email Newsletters you can trust

Fundraising Thermometer

Fundraising ideas for schools, churches, and youth sports teamsThermometer By ABC Fundraising®

Podcast: Changed by God to Make a Difference for God

Podcast: Changed by God to Make a Difference for God

Subscribe to Our Podcast

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Amazon Smile

Copyright © 2019 St. Augustine's Anglican Church. All Rights Reserved.