In my growing up, the celebration of Advent and the lighting of the Advent Wreath was not a part of our Christmas celebration until my teen years.  If memory serves me, it was my mother looking for renewal in our celebration who discovered this tradition for our little church family in Alabama sometime in the late 1950's.  She thought Christmas had become too commercialized.  Can you imagine?
 
Like many who used that wreath as a symbolic weekly calendar leading up to the celebration of the nativity, we lighted each candle in turn.  We waited until our Christmas Eve service to light the white Christ candle in the middle of the wreath. And from that candle, grew the light to each of the candles held in our hands growing the light in that darkened sanctuary.
 
I continued the Advent Wreath tradition many years later after I was ordained as a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in the United States.   It was in planning for one Advent season when I became conscious that our celebration of advent is a celebration of what has already occurred.  So, I began to leave the center Christ candle lighted throughout the Advent Season to remind us that we celebrate the mightiest of God's acts of grace, the coming of the Messiah, the promised one.  His is the light of the world and the darkness cannot overcome it. 
 
However we still wait.  We still anticipate the coming of our Christ not only at the time of the nativity, but each time he comes into our lives and through us into the lives of others.  It is a time of anticipation, a time when we await grace.
 
I pray for you moments of realized grace as you look for:
             Times of peace in the midst of turmoil
             A kind word when you least expect it
             Good news when you are surrounded by bad news
             Love when you feel ignored
             Hope when you see despair
             A smile when you feel like frowning
              
Merry Christmas to you and those you love.