Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Wishes!
I'm sorry that this post is so late. Work helped to make me very Scrooge-y this year, and I've been feeling kind of depressed for other reasons as well, so that I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to over the past few weeks. Well, that and the fact that the library at Buff State is on a reduced schedule at the end of the semester. But Christmas eventually found its way into my life again this year, albeit in smaller, more quiet ways than it usually does. I'd like to send out my best wishes for the holiday season, as well as for the upcoming days of 2008 to all on my friends list. You're there for a reason, and I value your friendship and the memories that I have from the time that we've spent together.
So, in the service of those wishes, I thought I'd reprint this page from a church bulletin that i came across about two weeks ago. I know that Christmas has come and gone, but it still seems relevant for the coming new year.
"The Lighting of the Advent Wreath"
"Long ago, the peoples of Northern Europe made the first wreaths, bending evergreen branches, a symbol of eternal life, into a circle. Having no beginning or end, the circle is also a reminder of eternity. For Christians, the wreath serves as a symbol of our eternal life in Christ.
The four candles placed around the wreath remind us that Christ is the Light of the World. One more candle is lit each Sunday in Advent, reminding us of the gradual revelation to Israel of the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. The larger candle in the center will be lit at Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The gradual lighting of the Advent candles also reminds us of the presence of God in creation and that Spring and new life will return in a few short months."