Advent 2023 Week One
hope for the future
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We sit in darkness. The ritual of the Advent Wreath has begun.
This year's Advent feels particularly potent because the world looks pretty dark now.
In some traditions, the first advent candle is the Candle of Prophecy.
Prophecy is an extraordinary way of knowing something. Usually, a thing happens, and then we know it. Prophets, through some divine mechanism, know a thing before it happens. They look through the boundaries of the present to future events.
Across the ages, we have tales of sybils, soothsayers, and diviners; they possess what's often referred to as foresight, second sight, or simply The Sight.
Here in the darkness, when it's hard to see and make out the outlines of what's to come, and we fear the worst, we light the first advent candle and honor an ancient prophecy. Long ago, in the eighth century, before the common era, it was foretold that one full of wonders, a wise counselor, and a peacemaker would arrive to bring justice to the nations. A tree cut down to a lifeless stump would suddenly send up a new green shoot from its root.
The mysticism of Advent is like a cosmic wormhole; it links the past and the future, bringing hope to the present. All the symbolism, stories, and prophecies look back to the birth of the Divine Child in the past and forward to a future when everything twisted and wrong will be healed and made right. The tree would flourish verdant and lovely again.
This week’s message is - Find Hope in Prophetic Visions.
Have you ever celebrated Advent? Did you make a wreath this year? Do you feel like the world is dark? If we have the divine imprint in our souls, can we help to kindle the light of hope?
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Do you light the prophecy candle just today, or does it get relit along with future candles. Not sure what size candle to use.