May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

As this writing falls at the beginning of the second week of Advent, I've chosen to write about the second candle on the advent wreath.

In some traditions the second candle is called the Bethlehem candle, symbolizing peace and the message of good news. However, as we light this second Advent Candle, we know that peace does not reign in our world today. The world around us is being destroyed, wars continue between countries and injustices exist in every nation. Conflicts are seen between friends; children are abused right in our own neighborhoods. So we ask, "Where is our hope?" "Who will show us the ways of peace and reconciliation?" "Where do we find the strength, the courage and the will to work for peace and justice?"

And as always, the child in the manger calls us to prepare for his birth, and it is in this birth of Jesus that we find our answers and we find hope. In the life and teachings of Jesus we also find the way to peace and justice. And with the help of the Holy Spirit we can find the courage and the power to work for peace.

In this Advent season God calls us to wake up from sleep and follow Him to life and light. When we listen and hear the call, we receive good news. We have God's promise that on that final day those who are in Christ will awaken to everlasting day. If we follow Jesus we will find our way past indifference, fear, hurts and disappointments. Our advent wake-up call is to trust God's word and promise. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our hope for Peace. Jesus shows us the way.

O God of all good gifts, this candle represents our desire to know you fully; to understand completely your love for us so that peace may truly dwell on us all. Help us during this season of preparation to awaken from our sleep to hear your call to life and light. Give us the courage to spread the message that your peace and love is for all people. Grant healing in our personal lives, that we may know the joy of life's true abundance. Amen

Contributed by Chris
Sunday December 7, 2008
Liturgical Year B Week 2
Sunday Gospel reading:
Second Sunday of Advent