Advent: Peace & the Angels’ candle.
(noun) the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best; (verb) to place trust, rely
One of the names given to Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). For centuries, God’s people thought the Messiah would come as a king who sat on an earthly throne and rule their nation. They thought He would be a conquering hero who would lead armies to overthrow their enemies. But as we discussed previously, that’s not how Jesus came and not what He did. The Messiah who came did not rescue people the way they anticipated. So what did Jesus do?
Jesus came as a baby, born in a manger because there wasn’t any room in the inn (Luke 1:7). His first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1–11). The religious rulers of the day, called Pharisees, were frequently upset with Jesus because He spent time with people they despised. He forgave a paralyzed man (Mark 2:1–12) and healed a withered hand (Mark 3:1–6). The disciples picked grain on a Sabbath (Mark 2:23–28) and didn’t follow cultural traditions (Mark 7:1–13) — both activities which Jesus defended by rightfully pointing out that the Pharisees were more focused on how others thought of them, rather than what God thought of them.
And what did God think of them? The Old Testament contains hundreds of laws Jews were supposed to follow. The Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus, so they asked Him which of the laws was most important. Jesus responded by telling them the most important is to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind — and then went on the say the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself (Mattew 22:34–40. You can’t love God unless you also love those around you. As Jesus showed in His life, that doesn’t mean only the fun people who you enjoy being with, but everyone. When we love others, we help correct the wrong in the world and bring it closer to the original creation God intended. God’s love brings us peace — a peace so deep and complete that it doesn’t compare to any other peace.
The fourth advent candle is called the Angels’ Candle and symbolizes the peace that Jesus came to bring.
Questions to discuss
- Jesus frequently spent time with the sick, the poor, and the unpopular people. The people others didn’t want to be around. Who are those people in your life?
- What does it mean to love God with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind?
- What do you think it means to love your neighbor as yourself?
- What are some ways you can be better at loving God will all of your heart, soul, and mind? What are some ways you can be better at loving your neighbor as yourself?
- In your own words, how would you describe peace?
Activities to do together
- Light the Angels’ candle
- Read Matthew 22:34–40
- Sing Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
- Read Luke 2:15–20
- Print and color this advent illustration
Series links
- Advent is coming
- Advent: Hope & the Prophets’ candle (November 29, 2020)
- Advent: Faith & the Bethlehem candle (December 6, 2020)
- Advent: Joy & the Shepherds’ candle (December 13, 2020)
- Advent: Peace & the Angels’ candle (December 20, 2020)
- Advent: Light & the Christ candle (December 24, 2020)
