We have arrived at the season of Advent, the time of expectation and preparation. Hymns such as “Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel” and “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” chorus throughout our churches, upon our lips, and within our hearts.
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming.” Therefore, this is a season of preparation for the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and of anticipation for His Second Coming.
The four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas find us reflecting upon hope, faith, joy, and peace; each candle in an Advent wreath represents one of those themes. Each time a candle is lit, darkness is pushed farther back, and when we light the middle candle in that wreath, which represents Jesus, the flickers become a large flame, engulfing the darkness around us and within us.
That light, and those themes of hope, faith, joy, peace, and the coming of a Savior, are also woven into our pregnancy help work.
We live and work an Advent-style life, with expectation, with hope, faith, joy, and peace, and Christ at the center of all we do.
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Unlike the inn keepers who turned Joseph and Mary away that holy night in Bethlehem, our doors are open to the women who need us. We expect to serve them, and we welcome them with love.
Each woman is precious in God’s eyes, and each unborn child is also precious to Him. He loves them both.
And each woman and unborn child is precious to us and loved by us. We are the outward extension of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness, of His hope, love, joy, and peace. We are disciples and ambassadors of the One who came on that night when, though the prophets had foretold His birth, no one expected it.
They certainly did not expect the Messiah to come as a humble baby lying in a manager stall. Jesus’ humble life continued during His earthly ministry. He didn’t travel by chariot. He didn’t live in a palace. He didn’t wear a religious leader’s clothing. He came to serve, not be served, and He gave His life for all.
We too, humbly come to our centers every day and serve those in need, creating a tapestry of hope, faith, joy, peace, and love.
The first candle of an Advent wreath is considered the hope candle.
Hope is like a flicker of light, giving a glimmer amid darkness. Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
We offer hope, we offer light, to the women who come through our doors with our services, our words, and our actions. Hope is found in Jesus, and we share His light, His hope, with the women we see. They may come in feeling hopeless, but they often leave our centers with hope, even just a glimmer.
The second candle represents faith.
Our centers are faith-based, and we share our faith in Christ with the clients who walk through our doors. Many receive a faith of their own from the Gospel presentations given by faithful center workers and volunteers. We also apply faith to our daily work, praying for the women and families we serve, and for the lives of the unbornThe third candle in an Advent wreath symbolizes joy.
Smiles and compassion welcome women to our centers, helping them feel more at ease during an uneasy, confusing time in their lives. Our joy, which we know comes from Christ, often motivates our clients to listen to the Gospel, to experience the compassion and mercy of Christ, and to see another way other than abortion.
The fourth candle, symbolizing peace, reminds us, though peace does not yet reign on earth but will one day, peace is available to us through a relationship with Jesus. When we invite our clients to accept Christ as their Savior, they, too, are offered that peace, which, as Scripture tells us “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:6). Everyone longs for peace, as well as joy and hope and faith in something – we know that ‘something’ is ‘someone,’ and His name is Jesus.
The fifth candle, the Christ candle, represents love, which is what pregnancy help is all about.
We love the women we serve; we love their unborn children. Jesus loves them, and we represent Him to each woman we meet. We also share His love and extend invitations to clients to accept His love and follow Him as Lord.
The expectation and anticipation of Advent, encompassed by hope, faith, joy, peace, and love, creates a beautiful tapestry in our pregnancy help work. Living in the darkened world of abortion, we bring the gifts of light found within these virtues to our clients, shining the light of Christ into that darkness.
We experienced a major flame this year when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the issue of abortion back to the states. People had consistently prayed for nearly 50 years that abortion would no longer be federally protected, and now more flickers of light grow, just like the candlelight from an Advent wreath, as more babies’ lives are saved from the horror of abortion through state law protections. Within the darkness, there is great light.
Advent. Anticipating an arrival. Looking forward to something/someone. Expectation. Hope-filled. Faith-filled. Joy-filled. Peace-filled. And filled with the love of God. May we continue to work and live Advent-style, sharing the light of Christ with people around us.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
– John 8:12
