1/15/2024 0 Comments Advent bible study online![]() Of course, the tradition of waiting for the Messiah to arrive has been an integral part of the lives of God-followers for thousands of years. That’s what Advent does for Christians today as well. The “great cloud of witnesses” that the writer of Hebrews talks about in chapter 12 followed a somber but hopeful tradition of observing this time of waiting in community-solidifying the bonds that tied the early church together and fostering unity and mutual identity in Christ. In a certain sense, it may be comforting for many reading this to understand that this tradition has been practiced for centuries longer than the current (sometimes anxiety-inducing) “traditions” tied to the holiday’s materialistic pursuits and social obligations. The word “Advent” means “coming.” As the days grow shorter every year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) and the darkness comes earlier, Christian families and churches look forward to the coming of the Light of the World-the celebration of the incarnation. Each will lead to a wide range of in-depth study possibilities. This is known as the “Christ candle,” and it symbolizes many things, including PURITY, LIGHT, RESTORATION, HOLINESS, and VICTORY.Ī personal or small-group study could begin by looking at the study tools offered in the TCR’s Alphabetical Index under these capitalized words. This is known as the “angel candle,” or the candle of LOVE. ![]() This is known as the “shepherd candle,” or the candle of JOY. This is known as the “Bethlehem candle,” or the candle of PEACE. This is known as the “prophecy candle,” or the candle of HOPE. While it’s true that those in the congregation sometimes anxiously hold their breath as a family’s 5-year-old shakily holds the lighter to one of the five candles, the depth of meaning behind these profound readings and this quiet practice increases as the Advent season progresses.Įach of the five candles has different meanings, and while different traditions use different colors, one traditional Advent candle color and order is as follows: These readings are typically part of Sunday services, so they begin 4 weeks before the Sunday of Christmas week. ![]() So what does the celebration of Advent involve? Today, many evangelical churches celebrate the season in their Advent services by reading Scripture passages that relate to the incarnation and lighting candles that celebrate the traditional aspects of this period of waiting. In this article, we’ll look at using the TCR to build one or multiple studies during this Advent season. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible includes many topics that are useful for creating Advent-themed studies. ![]() While that council was responding to a belief and practice that had migrated from traditional Christianity, the longstanding tradition of observing a time of waiting for the celebration of the incarnation has remained a profoundly meaningful and beloved tradition that has endured throughout the centuries.Įven though the word “Advent” is not found in the Bible, the message of the Advent season pervades both the Old and the New Testaments, as observant Jews wait for their Messiah over the centuries. It is nearly as old as the church itself, with the earliest mentions of the tradition happening as early as 380 AD at the Council of Saragossa. While the Bible doesn’t say anything about observing the tradition of Advent, this tradition has existed within the global Christian church for centuries.
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