Advent Project - Day 24: Hope, Love, Peace, Joy and Jesus

Building off yesterday's post on candles, I'd like to briefly look at the main themes behind the candles which make up the Advent Wreath.

• Hope - The coming of Jesus was the answer to all the hope that had been held in the Old Testament.  Even today, we live our lives in the hope of one day spending eternity in the Kingdom of God.
• Love - "For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16)
• Peace - Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), who taught us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-28).
• Joy - Elation and celebration of the coming of Christ.  The Sunday before the birth of Jesus, almost nobody knew of the coming of the Lord, but today we can get excited before the event because we have already received His gift.
• Jesus - Symbolically, towering above all else when this final candle is lit.  It reminds us that he Lord rules above all else.