An email devotion sent to members of Grace Lutheran Church in Thornville, Ohio on November 23, 2022
If you go into most any Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican, or other “mainline” Protestant church in North America in the month of December, you will notice an interesting furnishing in the sanctuary. This eye-catching decoration consists of four large candles attached to a wooden or metal circle, often adorned with holiday greenery. This is known as an Advent wreath.
Traditions surrounding Advent wreaths are many and varied. Different churches use them differently in the four weeks of Advent leading to Christmas, but most often churches will light one candle on the first Sunday, two on the second, three on the third, and four on the last. Often, there is a candle in the middle that is lit on Christmas Eve, symbolizing the birth of Christ. And you will also notice that often one of the candles is pink or rose in color. This comes from a tradition that holds the third Sunday of Advent as “Gaudete Sunday,” meaning “rejoice.” As the season of Advent developed in the Middle Ages, it was common to view it as a somber time of penitence before the festival of Christmas. At times, Christians would fast during this time, as in the season of Lent, and so the third Sunday of Advent, which was called “Gaudete,” was meant as a short break in the fast.
If you do an internet search about the Advent wreath, its origin, and its significance, you will be bombarded with all kinds of conflicting information. People talk about its “ancient origins” and what each candle is supposed to represent. One model says that the candles are supposed to represent “hope,” “love,” “joy,” and “peace.” Another model claims that the candles represent “prophecy,” “Bethlehem,” “shepherds,” and “angels.” Yet another model says that the four candles represent the four hundred years between the time of the Prophet Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and the birth of Jesus Christ. This just scratches the surface of the various meanings people have attached to this sanctuary decoration.
What’s the real story behind the Advent wreath? While it is possible that wreaths with candles were used as decorations in pre-Christian civilizations in Europe and possibly during the Middle Ages, the Advent wreath in modern usage began as a children’s ministry tool in an orphanage in the northern German city of Hamburg. Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881) was a Lutheran pastor and leader in the German “Inner Mission” movement, which sought to unite the various social ministries around the country. In his time, especially in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars, Wichern recognized the importance of Christian works of mercy, especially the need to care for displaced children.
At his orphanage, Wichern led the children in a daily devotion. He constructed such a wreath as a way for the children to count the days until Christmas. Four large white candles stood for the four Sundays before Christmas, and smaller red candles in between them represented individual days. Northern German winters are even longer, darker, and colder than in Ohio, and the candlelight provided him with a way to talk about Jesus’ coming as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). As he explained to the children, the circular shape of the wreath showed that God’s love has no beginning or end.
From that time, the Advent wreath gradually found its way into Lutheran homes in Germany. For many years, it remained primarily a home devotional decoration. In the early to mid-twentieth century, it found its way into some church sanctuaries. Christians of other types adopted it as well, and today churches that do not have an Advent wreath are rare exceptions. Though we might think they are ancient and have been around forever, Advent wreaths are in fact only ancient going back to the 1830s! Don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing against using Advent wreaths. They are a nice addition to this season, and I would miss the wreath if it were absent from our sanctuary. Lutherans have always recognized the importance of some freedom in our local practices, but it is important to remember that there is no single, standard meaning behind the four candles.
If the candles on the Advent wreath don’t stand for anything in particular, is there a purpose behind continuing to use the decoration? I believe there is, and knowing about the history of the wreath can help us with that. Wichern used his wreath as a way of helping his orphanage children know that they are valued and not forgotten, especially in this time of year. We often hear of this season as “merry and bright,” but for many it is not. But the joy of Advent lies in the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ has come into our world and continues to come with his healing and forgiving power. As we light the candles, we remember that we and the rest of the world are not forgotten by God, who in Jesus Christ has come to us, promises to come again, and graciously comes to us even now through the preaching of his good news and his sacraments. And as the candles are situated in a circle, we know that this good news has no end, but endures forever.
If you go into most any Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican, or other “mainline” Protestant church in North America in the month of December, you will notice an interesting furnishing in the sanctuary. This eye-catching decoration consists of four large candles attached to a wooden or metal circle, often adorned with holiday greenery. This is known as an Advent wreath.
Traditions surrounding Advent wreaths are many and varied. Different churches use them differently in the four weeks of Advent leading to Christmas, but most often churches will light one candle on the first Sunday, two on the second, three on the third, and four on the last. Often, there is a candle in the middle that is lit on Christmas Eve, symbolizing the birth of Christ. And you will also notice that often one of the candles is pink or rose in color. This comes from a tradition that holds the third Sunday of Advent as “Gaudete Sunday,” meaning “rejoice.” As the season of Advent developed in the Middle Ages, it was common to view it as a somber time of penitence before the festival of Christmas. At times, Christians would fast during this time, as in the season of Lent, and so the third Sunday of Advent, which was called “Gaudete,” was meant as a short break in the fast.
If you do an internet search about the Advent wreath, its origin, and its significance, you will be bombarded with all kinds of conflicting information. People talk about its “ancient origins” and what each candle is supposed to represent. One model says that the candles are supposed to represent “hope,” “love,” “joy,” and “peace.” Another model claims that the candles represent “prophecy,” “Bethlehem,” “shepherds,” and “angels.” Yet another model says that the four candles represent the four hundred years between the time of the Prophet Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and the birth of Jesus Christ. This just scratches the surface of the various meanings people have attached to this sanctuary decoration.
What’s the real story behind the Advent wreath? While it is possible that wreaths with candles were used as decorations in pre-Christian civilizations in Europe and possibly during the Middle Ages, the Advent wreath in modern usage began as a children’s ministry tool in an orphanage in the northern German city of Hamburg. Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881) was a Lutheran pastor and leader in the German “Inner Mission” movement, which sought to unite the various social ministries around the country. In his time, especially in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars, Wichern recognized the importance of Christian works of mercy, especially the need to care for displaced children.
At his orphanage, Wichern led the children in a daily devotion. He constructed such a wreath as a way for the children to count the days until Christmas. Four large white candles stood for the four Sundays before Christmas, and smaller red candles in between them represented individual days. Northern German winters are even longer, darker, and colder than in Ohio, and the candlelight provided him with a way to talk about Jesus’ coming as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). As he explained to the children, the circular shape of the wreath showed that God’s love has no beginning or end.
From that time, the Advent wreath gradually found its way into Lutheran homes in Germany. For many years, it remained primarily a home devotional decoration. In the early to mid-twentieth century, it found its way into some church sanctuaries. Christians of other types adopted it as well, and today churches that do not have an Advent wreath are rare exceptions. Though we might think they are ancient and have been around forever, Advent wreaths are in fact only ancient going back to the 1830s! Don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing against using Advent wreaths. They are a nice addition to this season, and I would miss the wreath if it were absent from our sanctuary. Lutherans have always recognized the importance of some freedom in our local practices, but it is important to remember that there is no single, standard meaning behind the four candles.
If the candles on the Advent wreath don’t stand for anything in particular, is there a purpose behind continuing to use the decoration? I believe there is, and knowing about the history of the wreath can help us with that. Wichern used his wreath as a way of helping his orphanage children know that they are valued and not forgotten, especially in this time of year. We often hear of this season as “merry and bright,” but for many it is not. But the joy of Advent lies in the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ has come into our world and continues to come with his healing and forgiving power. As we light the candles, we remember that we and the rest of the world are not forgotten by God, who in Jesus Christ has come to us, promises to come again, and graciously comes to us even now through the preaching of his good news and his sacraments. And as the candles are situated in a circle, we know that this good news has no end, but endures forever.