The Third Candle of Advent

The two candles lit on previous Sundays are relighted before the service begins.

Introduction
Soon we shall celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We worship God with joy in our hearts
as we are reminded of the words the angel said
on that first Christmas Day:
“Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy
which will come to all the people!”

Reading from the Bible
John 15:9-11
Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you; abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments,
you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept God’s commandments
and abide in God’s love.
I have said these things to you
so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.”
Lighting of the Candle
We light this candle to proclaim
the coming of the light of God into the world.
With the coming of this light there is joy,
joy that is ours not only at Christmas but always.
The color of the candle is rose—
the color of the sky
when dawn breaks into the night.

Light the pink candle in the wreath.

Prayer
O Holy One, as Christmas draws near,
there is a sense of excitement in the air.
We can feel a joy in our lives
and see it in those around us.
Still, for some of us this is a sad time
because of unhappy things that have happened in our lives.
Help us to have that joy
that does not depend on earthly happiness, but on you.
Help us to be filled with your joy
so that we may share it with a joyless world.
Amen.