| Rejoice for the pink candle The first Sunday in Advent found Sheila and me attending worship at Foundry UMC in Washington. The music, the preaching and the setting of the sanctuary all lent themselves to preparing for the coming of the Christ child. After worship, I was taking pictures of Mary Beth and Craig Albright, lighters of the first Advent candle that morning. (See photo, page 12.) As I was standing at the railing, another woman, who did not identify herself, stood next to me. They can never get it right, she said. Get what right? I replied. The Advent wreath, she said. You would think that they could find four purple candles. It was then I noticed that the Advent wreath contained three purple candles and one pink candle. (It also held the white Christ candle.) I thought I knew the story behind the pink candle, so I shared it with her. Before I put into writing here what I told her, I wanted to make sure I was correct. So I wrote to our resident United Methodist worship expert, Dan Benedict, director of worship resources at the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville. If anyone would know anything about the pink candle, it would be Dan. There is a long tradition of three purple and one pink Advent candles, Benedict wrote in an e-mail. The pink is for the third Sunday of Advent, called in Latin, Gaudete Sunday Rejoice! This tradition is shaped by the traditional (lectionary) readings for this Sunday that emphasize the nearness of the Lord, both in his first coming and in anticipation of his second coming. So basically, what I told the woman was accurate. It was only later that I was able to be amazed at the fact that, with so much going on in the world, here was one person who noticed that the Advent wreath wasnt right. The encounter with the woman got me asking myself, Whats right with the world today? At first blush, the answer is a quick, Not much. The news these days seems to be full of stuff not going right: Our young men and women dying in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places near and far, in the so-called war on terrorism; HIV/AIDS is on the increase, especially in Africa; people are killing other people at an alarming rate in our cities, especially Baltimore; gang violence threatens to unglue Washington, D.C.; poverty and lack of health care are devastating people in Maryland, D.C., and West Virginia, and the Maryland government seems to be turning to gambling expansion as a way of bal ancing the books. All this, and I havent even mentioned the Bowl Championship Series college football fiasco. Talk about a nightmare! I guess you could say that theres a lot wrong in the world this Christmas. But and this is one of the most important words in the English language and one of the most important words in the Bible but, there is Good News: Theres a pink candle on the Advent wreath; there is reason to rejoice. Read again, aloud if you like, that old, old story. This time, from the paraphrasing translation of Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian pastor with roots in Bel Air, Maryland: There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood, begins the re-telling of the Lukan narrative of Jesus birth. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, Gods angel stood among them and Gods glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, Dont be afraid. Im here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in Davids town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what youre to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger. As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. Lets get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us. They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed. Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way theyd been told! Like most things in life, how you live is a matter of perspective. The woman at the Advent wreath saw three purple candles and one pink candle and thought it was wrong. My prayer for you is to see pink candles everywhere this Christmas. Christ is come! Rejoice! | 
Login/Register to leave comment