Advent - Are we doing it right

[Shane R]

In my Episcopal Church & in my home, we use 3 blue candles & 1 pink. The blue is associated with Mary & with hope, anticipation.

You have mentioned what I probably under-emphasized in my previous post: blue is inextricably linked with Mary. And Mary is inextricably linked with Christmas. We sing "Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht)" too often without fully grasping the role of the virgin. I am not the greatest adherent of Marian devotion - perhaps I am still overcoming my upbringing - but I say the Hail Mary and/or the Magnificat throughout advent. I appreciate the typology of the new Eve, and I recognize the impact of Mary's choice to be the vehicle of Christ's incarnation. I did not fully understand the description "more spacious than the heavens" until a couple of months ago, when a Greek Orthodox bloke explained it to me, but now I appreciate that description. So, I think advent is the perfect season for the blue candles.

Now I need to go and work on my homily for Advent 2. Blessings to all.

 

[Paidiske]

...but I think it will always be a balancing act.

It's a balancing act in the parish as well as at home. I put up an Advent display* intended to prompt people to think about the not-yet aspect of Advent, and I turned up days later to find that my parishioners had put a fully decorated Christmas tree in it.

*There's a shelf in our narthex which I use as a "thoughtful spot" with regular rotation of artwork, sayings, etc intended to prompt reflection.

 

[Arcangl86]

A good theological argument I've heard, though not sure how old it is that blue is appropriate because it is the color of the sky before the dawn. I think part of the difficulty we have with Advent is related to our understanding of Christmas. I think we tend to understate the eschatological element of the first coming, and as such we have difficulty explaining why we are waiting for the second coming.