The Colors of Advent
Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is
Purple,
the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. The
purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent
and Holy Week. This points to an important connection between
Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot
be separated from the crucifixion, the Atonement. The purpose of
Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made
flesh" and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His
grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also
through his suffering, death, and resurrection.
However, many churches now use blue to distinguish the Season
of Advent from Lent. Royal Blue
is sometimes used as a symbol of royalty. Some churches use Bright
Blue to symbolize the night sky, the anticipation of
the impending announcement of the King’s coming, or to
symbolize the waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new
creation. Red and Green are more secular colors of Christmas,
although they derive from older European practices of using
evergreens and holly to symbolize ongoing life and hope that
Christ’s birth brings into a cold world.
The word Advent means "coming" or
"arrival." The focus of the entire season is the
celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First
Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in
his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking
a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth
about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of
creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which
we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate.
Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the
Second Advent, including themes of accountability for
faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of
eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also
symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a
congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is
present in the world today, and that He will come again in
power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics,
for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live
"between the times" and are called to be faithful
stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as
the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the
Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that
history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its
redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a
people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all
your heart" and to "love your neighbor as
yourself." |