Celebrating Advent

Brett and I learned how to celebrate Advent last year. As a Christian, I am surprised that I didn't know what Advent was:

     Advent prepares for the celebration of Jesus' birth by observing the four Sundays prior to Christmas with the symbolic lighting of candles. The four Sundays represent the four millenial time periods: The first Advent Sunday represents the time of Adam forward 1,000 years, from 4,000 to 3,000 B.C. The second Advent Sunday represents the next 1,000 years, from 3,000 to 2,000 and so on, until the 4th Advent Sunday, which covers the period from 1,000 B.C. to the birth of Christ. It serves to remind us of the divine birth of our Savior and that His coming was prophesied since the time of Adam.
     During the Advent Sundays, an evergreen wreath is brought out, which represents unity and God's never-ending love for His children. Equally spaced around the wreath are placed four colored candles. (I am still learning the significance of the colors.) Each Sunday, a new candle, plus the previous week's candles are lit, so that eventually all four candles are lit on the fourth Sunday. The increase in light each week around the wreath represents the increase in knowledge that God gave his children through revelations by prophets of the coming of His Son, the "Light of the World."
     On Christmas Eve, the four previously burned candles are replaced by fresh new white candles, reminding us of the birth of Christ, or of the Advent of His coming, and that because of Him, we are made pure and white if we repent and follow Him. It is then that we celebrate the Fullness of Light, or the Savior who was born in Bethlehem, and we read the apostles' and prophets' accounts of His birth from the scriptures.

Celebrating Advent has become an occasion to gather friends, family, and neighbors where we all sing Christmas songs, read the Bible, and tell Christmas stories. I have never felt more prepared to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas since we've learned about Advent. Each week I get to read of the prophecies from a new millenia and feel the anticipation that those prophets and people of the time did in the coming of a Savior of the world. As a person living thousands of years after His birth, I didn't get to experience that great anticipation, but I can catch a glimpse when I feel that Christmas spirit. Like we all know, Christmas isn't about the gifts and the decorating, and the treats, or the lights; it's about the birth of a Savior who brings light to the world.