Advent

What is Advent?

Advent — from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming" or "arrival" — is the season of the Church's year that begins four Sundays before Christmas Day and ends at the First Eucharist of Christmas on Christmas Eve. It is the first season of the liturgical year, and it is a time of preparation, penitence, expectation, and hope.

Advent holds together two distinct but inseparable themes: the First Coming of Christ — his Incarnation, his birth at Bethlehem — and his Second Coming — his return in glory at the end of time. The season invites clergy and congregations alike to sit with holy longing and to prepare themselves, and those in their care, to receive the Lord.

Liturgical Colour: Purple (and Rose)

The liturgical colour of Advent is purple — the colour of penitence, royalty, and expectation. Purple vestments, frontals, and hangings are used throughout the season. In the Anglican tradition, purple in Advent carries a slightly different tone from the purple of Lent: it is the purple of a king's arrival, not only the purple of sorrow and repentance.

Some parishes use blue as the Advent colour — a more ancient tradition associated with the Virgin Mary and the hope of the coming dawn. Either purple or blue is acceptable within the Anglican tradition; parishes should be consistent in their usage from year to year.

The Four Sundays of Advent

Each Sunday of Advent carries a traditional theme. These themes, drawn from scripture and the lectionary, provide a framework for preaching, intercession, and teaching throughout the season. The themes vary slightly across different lectionary traditions, but the following represent the commonly received Anglican understanding:

The Advent Wreath

The Advent Wreath is a widely used and beloved devotional practice in Anglican parishes. A circular wreath of evergreen holds four candles — traditionally three purple and one rose — with a fifth white Christ Candle in the centre, lit at Christmas.

One candle is lit on each Sunday of Advent, accompanied by a short prayer, a reading, or a hymn verse. The progressively brightening wreath is a powerful visual sign of the growing light of Christ entering the darkness of the world. It is also an excellent focus for all-age worship and for teaching children about the season.

• The wreath may be blessed at the beginning of Advent with a simple prayer or a formal blessing.
• Wreath-lighting prayers and readings are available in the ACSA Prayer Book Supplement and in the resources below.
• The Christ Candle (white, in the centre) is lit at the First Eucharist of Christmas.
• The rose candle (Third Sunday — Gaudete) may be replaced by a purple candle if rose is not available or not customary in your parish.

Preaching in Advent

Advent offers rich and layered material for preaching. The danger is to rush past the season toward Christmas — to domesticate it into a festive preamble rather than a genuine season of the soul. Advent's power lies in its willingness to hold us in the dark a little longer, to let us feel the weight of human longing, and to hear again the prophetic cry for justice, peace, and the coming Kingdom of God.

Suggested preaching themes by Sunday

1. First Sunday — Apocalyptic HopePreach on watchfulness and the end times without inducing fear or fatalism. The coming of Christ is the Christian's deepest hope — the horizon toward which all of history moves. Invite the congregation to live with eschatological urgency: as people who are awake, ready, and unafraid.
2. Second Sunday — Repentance and the WayJohn the Baptist's call to repentance is not a call to self-punishment but to reorientation — to "straighten the way." Invite the congregation to examine what in their lives needs to be cleared, prepared, and made ready for the Lord's arrival.
3. Third Sunday — Joy in the WaitingGaudete Sunday interrupts the penitential tone with a call to joy. This is not a superficial cheerfulness but the deep joy of those who know the end of the story. Paul's "Rejoice always" (Phil. 4:4) is not naïve — it is a defiant trust in God's faithfulness.
4. Fourth Sunday — The Incarnation Draws NearMary's "yes" — her fiat — is the model of Advent faith. Preach on receptivity, trust, and the breathtaking miracle that God chose to enter the world through the consent and flesh of a young woman. The Magnificat is an Advent sermon in itself.

Hymnody & Music

Advent has an extraordinarily rich tradition of hymnody. The great Advent hymns hold together the twin themes of expectation and penitence, longing and confidence. Clergy and music directors are encouraged to use the Advent season as an opportunity to teach these ancient songs to their congregations, rather than moving immediately to Christmas carols.

• "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" — The great Advent antiphon hymn, drawing on the ancient O Antiphons. Ideal for congregational singing throughout the season.
• "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending" — A powerful eschatological hymn for the First Sunday of Advent.
• "On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry" — Fitting for the Second and Third Sundays.
• "Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding" — An ancient Advent hymn of great dignity.
• The Magnificat — Mary's song (Luke 1:46–55) is one of the great canticles of Advent and should be used regularly, whether sung or said.

Resources for Clergy

The following resources are made available to clergy of the Diocese of False Bay for use in preparing Advent worship, preaching, and parish devotional life. Please contact the Diocesan office if you need additional materials or have questions about liturgical practice.

• Advent Wreath Blessing & Weekly Prayers Printed insert suitable for Sunday bulletins — all four Sundays plus Christmas
• Lectionary Readings: Advent Years A, B & C Full lectionary grid with psalm, Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel for each Sunday
• All-Age Advent Liturgy Outline A short family-friendly order of service incorporating the Advent Wreath
• Advent Intercession Templates Four weeks of responsive intercessions keyed to each Sunday's theme
• Advent Daily Devotional Guide (Parish Handout) A short daily reading and reflection booklet for distribution to parishioners