Advent 2 Wreath Lighting: Expect

The porch light left on.
A welcoming fire blazing in the hearth.
Tall tapers set on the dining room table.
Someone is expected. . . . someone whose presence changes everything.

As if the Christ were on his way to my home and yours, we prepare.

Let us bulldoze the barriers that would prevent him from getting inside.

Let us sweep and salt the walk, and then hold open the door.

We pray:

We light a candle reminding ourselves to expect anything and everything from You. Give us the pins-and-needles sensation as we practice Advent. Amen.

Advent 1 Wreath Lighting: Watch

It takes only a little bit of illumination to guide us through any amount of darkness:

A single beam from a thumb-sized flashlight lifts the shadows for a walk after sunset;
A tiny nightlight softly washes away midnight fears in a child’s bedroom;
A lonely coastal lighthouse splits the blackness and wards off peril.

It takes only a little bit of illumination to guide us through any amount of darkness.

It takes only one candle for us to catch a glimpse of where we should step on the way to Christmas.

It takes only one candle for us to stay on watch.

We pray:

We light a candle to remind ourselves that You show us what we need to see. Give us attentiveness as we practice Advent. Amen.