Alighting Hope in Advent Season

Do you know about the Danish cultural value of ‘hygge?’ I heard about this concept a few years ago from my sister who had read “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” by Meik Wiking. She was raving about how the Danes are the happiest people in the world because they seek things that are cozy, comforting and pleasant. The word is hard to capture because a lot of the definitions are subjectively based around the feeling of hygge. The first section of Wiking’s book is all about atmosphere and you won’t miss what he means by atmosphere has a lot to do with the kind and quality of the light around you. Candles seem to be the ultimate in creating a hygge atmosphere because of the soft and warm glow we get from them. 

I think the comforting cast of candlelight is a big part of what makes the Advent Season so inviting. Advent is an invitation to pause, reflect and realign our Christmas to Jesus. Our aim in celebration is to remember His historical birth and anticipate His coming again in glory. One of my favorite things to do during the month leading up to Christmas is when we incorporate an Advent Wreath into our decorations and church services. The greens of the wreath symbolize eternity and everlasting life in a circle that never ends. Three purple candles and one pink candle surrounds the white candle in the middle of the ring that represents Jesus.  

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness a light will shine.” Isaiah 9:2 

In the first week of Advent, let us consider the purple candle: The Hope Candle. The purple color of the candle represents repentance, and also royalty. What better way to enter this time of year than turning from our sins and towards Jesus, our King of Kings and the one who has the authority to forgive us. Hope comes from seeing the light, even when that light shines on the things that we try to hide: our guilt and shame. Let’s not confuse hope with wishful thinking. When Jesus – who is the Light of the World – shines upon us, we can have hope because we know Him. We know that He has already come and is yet to come again. What a hope we have that we can see how these prophecies were fulfilled once in Jesus’ life on earth, they are fulfilled through our lives in Him and they will be fulfilled ultimately when we see Him again. 

Hope Means Happiness

“You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.” Isaiah 9:3 

Because we are believers in Jesus, we are grafted into the nation of Israel (Romans 11), so we are living out this beautiful promise in the Bible: God has enlarged the nation of Israel to include people from every nation on earth! We carry on this work: planting and harvesting and fighting the spiritual battles of faith so that more people will be added. We are so happy when people come out of great darkness and into the light. We have hope, that is a confident assurance and joy, that there is future harvest and a victory in the final battle when Jesus comes back.  

Hope Means Freedom

“For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod…” Isaiah 9:4 

We get to be free because of Jesus. Before Him, our lives were ruled by sin to the point that there is literally no other option, but because He has broken this burden from our lives, we are free (Romans 6). Our hope is that we will grow in freedom as we walk alongside Jesus, it graces us to work on our weaknesses and empowers us to overcome. We are also looking forward to the freedom that Jesus second coming will usher in, once and for all breaking the power of sin and oppression in this world.  

Hope Means Trusting

“His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” Isaiah 9:7 

I love that Isaiah describes Jesus (the Lord of Heaven’s Armies) as having “passionate commitment” to fairness and justice. The light of hope can easily be snuffed out by the injustice and lack of peace we see around us. We live with things in our own lives that are unanswered and unsettled, there is terrible injustice and violence upon the earth. These things could make hope seem dim and distant, but it doesn’t have to be if we trust Him. This is no small feat, nor is it a trite adage. It is defiant to hold out hope because we carry this truth: our King Jesus rules from a place of eternal peace with faithful dedication.  

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the beautiful tradition of the Advent Wreath this Christmas. You can join us at Coastal Church every weekend in December to light the candles with us. You can also use our Advent Guide in your own home, available upon request to [email protected] or search for a guide online.