This coming Sunday, December 1, the church moves from observing Ordinary Time (the new designation) or Sundays during the season of Pentecost (the old designation), take your pick, to the season of Advent. You’ll notice several differences in the look of the sanctuary. One of those changes involves the Paschal Candle, the candle that has occupied a position to the south of the altar. With the advent of Advent (heh, heh) a ring holding four blue candles takes the place of the Paschal Candle. “What!?” you say! “Don’t we use the Paschal Candle for Christmas?”
Well, no, we don’t. The word Paschal is an adjective describing an object associated with Passover. Remember that Easter is intimately connected to Passover in that Jesus was betrayed by Judas the evening Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. That meal which we call the Eucharist, or Communion is also often called the Last Supper. We light the Paschal Candle Easter morning to recall that Jesus is our paschal lamb, the lamb whose blood was shed for us, but then was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. Then that candle is lit every Sunday during the Easter season and when we celebrate a baptism or during a funeral service.
Since I believe we’ve gone on long enough with this topic I’ll stop here, at least for the time being. Perhaps we’ll continue this another month if I hear you wish to know more. For now, we’ll return to Advent and Christmas.
Elizabeth and I have now been with you for almost a year. During this time we have both been struck by the way the members of this congregation, both as individuals and as a community of faith, find ways to let their trust in Christ Jesus shine. You have welcomed strangers like us and we have met love. I’ve seen that happen not only to the two of us but others also. You find various and sundry ways to help those less fortunate by creatively providing food and other necessities. In the meals that this community celebrates, both within the service (Communion) and elsewhere (the Lunch Bunch, Pot-Lucks, et al.) we see people literally reaching out to others. We feel fortunate to have fallen into such loving arms.
During this holiday season may the warmth of Christ’s love for you shine forth.
Peace be with you, Stan
2019
Well, no, we don’t. The word Paschal is an adjective describing an object associated with Passover. Remember that Easter is intimately connected to Passover in that Jesus was betrayed by Judas the evening Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. That meal which we call the Eucharist, or Communion is also often called the Last Supper. We light the Paschal Candle Easter morning to recall that Jesus is our paschal lamb, the lamb whose blood was shed for us, but then was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. Then that candle is lit every Sunday during the Easter season and when we celebrate a baptism or during a funeral service.
Since I believe we’ve gone on long enough with this topic I’ll stop here, at least for the time being. Perhaps we’ll continue this another month if I hear you wish to know more. For now, we’ll return to Advent and Christmas.
Elizabeth and I have now been with you for almost a year. During this time we have both been struck by the way the members of this congregation, both as individuals and as a community of faith, find ways to let their trust in Christ Jesus shine. You have welcomed strangers like us and we have met love. I’ve seen that happen not only to the two of us but others also. You find various and sundry ways to help those less fortunate by creatively providing food and other necessities. In the meals that this community celebrates, both within the service (Communion) and elsewhere (the Lunch Bunch, Pot-Lucks, et al.) we see people literally reaching out to others. We feel fortunate to have fallen into such loving arms.
During this holiday season may the warmth of Christ’s love for you shine forth.
Peace be with you, Stan
2019