Each December, as the days grow shorter and the air turns cold, our sanctuary begins to glow. The evergreen wreath returns to its place near the Communion table, and on the first Sunday of Advent someone leans forward to light a single candle. One small flame in the dimness, and with it, the word hope.
A week later comes peace, then joy, then love. With each candle, the light grows. And finally, on Christmas Eve, the Christ candle in the center is lit. The whole room shines as we pass the flame from hand to hand, singing “Silent Night.” It feels ancient, as though the church has always done this. Yet the four words hope, peace, joy, and love are not as old as they seem.
The Advent wreath itself was first created in 1839 by a German pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern. Working with children in a mission school in Hamburg, Wichern built a large wooden ring with twenty-four candles to help them count the days until Christmas. Each evening they lit another candle, watching the light grow brighter. There were no special words yet, only the beauty of light shining in the dark.
As the custom spread through churches and homes, the wreath was simplified to four candles, one for each Sunday of Advent. The circle of evergreen came to symbolize eternal life, and the growing light became a way to pray with our eyes as well as our hearts. Different churches gave the candles different meanings. Some followed the story of the nativity, naming them the Prophecy, Bethlehem, Shepherds’, and Angels’ Candle. Others spoke of the gifts Christ brings to us: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
The pattern we know today, Hope, Peace, Joy,and Love, took shape in the mid-1900s. In the years after two world wars, Christians longed for words that could speak to their deepest hopes and fears. Sunday school materials and worship guides began using these four themes to help families mark the season in a more personal way. The idea spread quickly because the words themselves spoke to the heart of the gospel and to the longings of ordinary people.
Even now, they speak to us.
Hope when life feels uncertain.
Peace in the middle of conflict and noise.
Joy that rises even when we are weary.
Love that reminds us we are never alone.
They are more than candles. They are prayers. Each week, as the light grows brighter, we remember that darkness never has the final word.
And so, whether you have been here all year or not, this season welcomes you. Advent is not about having everything figured out. It is about remembering that God’s light still comes to us, right where we are.
On Christmas Eve, our sanctuary fills with candlelight and song. For a few holy moments, the world seems still. Faces glow in the flicker of the flame, and we remember what those four words have always tried to say: hope is alive, peace is possible, joy can surprise us, and love still has the final word.
— Pastor Beau