Christ- The Final Sunday in Advent
Each Sunday of Advent a new candle is lit to mark time. The third candle is rose or pink, which is meant to remind us to rejoice. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, all four candles are lit. Then, on Christmas Eve the Christ Candle is lit along with all four Advent candles. The Christ Candle represents the light that the Son brought into the world when he was born a little baby, God in the flesh. The fact that the Advent candles remain on Christmas Eve puts the focus on this special moment of birth, the moment of transition from prophecy to fulfillment. On Christmas Day and the Christmas Sundays, the Advent candles are usually removed, but the Christ Candle remains. This reminds us that old things have passed away, and all has been made new.
The Christ candle is in the center because the Christ candle reminds us that Jesus is the center of Christmas. The four outer candles are all important, but they only make sense with Jesus at the center. Yes, Christmas is a time of hope, peace, joy and love, but once again, this is only because of Jesus. And so tonight I want us to look at Jesus as the center of Christmas, and how we only have real hope, peace, joy and love in our lives because of him.
Everyone loves a fireplace when it cold outside right? There’s something about a fire in the fireplace that is so soothing, so pleasing, especially around Christmas time. I miss it so much that we sometimes turn the TV on to the “Fireplace Channel.” That’s right, there is an actual channel which simply broadcasts a fire in a fireplace on your TV screen twenty-four hours a day. We just leave it on in the living room to get the feel of a fireplace in the home.
What is it that people love about a fire in the fireplace? It’s the whole experience, isn’t it? The light that the fire sheds, the warmth that the fire brings, the scent of the burning wood and the crackling of the embers – these all combine to make it such a beautiful experience. But you can’t have all those things without the fire. The things we love about the fire come from the fire, and the fire is at the center of the light, the warmth, the scent and the crackling.
It’s the same with Christ at Christmas. We all want hope, peace, joy and love, but some people seem to want them without Jesus. It’s like wanting the light, warmth, scent and crackling of the fire in the fireplace without the fire. It doesn’t work that way. Just as the fire is central to all the good things about the fire, so Christ is central to Christmas. Hope, peace, joy and love come from him. He is the center, and we only enjoy the good things of Christmas because of him.
