The Fourth Sunday of Advent: Love
Illuminating the Angel's Candle with Divine Love
As the Advent season ends, lighting the fourth candle inspires thoughtful contemplation on what love is.
The fourth Advent candle, appropriately called the "Angel's Candle," symbolizes the utmost love of God and serves as a lighthouse guiding the way toward the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The Gift of the Son
God's ultimate act of love, in the form of the Gift of the Son, captures the very spirit of the Angel's Candle in this founding verse in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Selfless Love
A tangible representation of the selfless love displayed by Christ's death on the cross for the sake of humanity is the purple light of the Angel's Candle. We understand this selfless love in Romans 5:8:
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
A Great Love
There is a great love that began the Christmas tale and has remained relevant throughout time, providing a potent backdrop for the Angel's Candle's illumination, which we see in 1 John 4:9-10:
"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
A Sunday of Love
The Angel's Candle, lit on the Sunday before Christmas, symbolizes the Savior's impending return. As a recurring theme throughout the Advent season, purple represents monarchy.
It highlights the kingly qualities of the One whose arrival we eagerly await. This purple flame calls believers to look forward to the arrival of God's new Kingdom on Earth, which will be defined by the transformative force of divine love and nativity in Bethlehem.
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who writes about faith and writing books. He has self-published 3 bible study devotionals on Amazon. Check them out below:
J.R., as a writer, I understand the importance of words and how they can convey impactful emotions, beliefs, and a worldview. Each of us is a game-changer. May your pen never run out of ink, your keyboard remains filled with inspiration, your paper never run out of space, your mind never run out of ideas, and may your heart never run out of love, compassion, and ministry. I pray that the blessings of our Christ-as-Life Christmas bring you the joy of the greatest author of eternity – God the Father. Merry Christ-as-Life!