Terry: WELL, CHRISTMAS

IS ALMOST UPON US, AND IF

YOU'RE HOME IS LIKE MINE,

I'M ALWAYS THINKING OF WAYS

TO MAKE THE SEASON REALLY

MEANINGFUL.

MY FRIEND, LISA ROBERTSON,

IS JOINING ME RIGHT NOW

BECAUSE WE WANT TO TALK TO

YOU ABOUT ADVENT, AN AGE-OLD

TRADITION BUT ONE THAT STILL

HAS MEANING TODAY.

SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT

ADVENT IS.

ADVENT IS THE SEASON IN

THE CHURCH CALENDAR THAT

BEGINS FOUR WEEKS BEFORE

CHRISTMAS.

IT IS A TIME OF PREPARATION,

AND IT IS THE TIME OF

TALKING ABOUT THE COMING OF

CHRIST AS AN INFANT IN A

MANGER, AND ALSO WHEN HE

COMES THE SECOND TIME IN

GLORY.

IT IS ALL ABOUT COMING

TOWARDS.

Terry: THIS IS A VERY

SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN YOUR

HOME.

I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR MANY

YEARS, AND I KNOW YOUR

FAMILY CELEBRATES THIS EACH

DAY OF THE FOUR WEEKS.

THERE IS A SENSE OF

ANTICIPATION THAT COMES WITH

THIS IN THE FAMILY?

ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE

ABOUT ADVENT IS I FEEL LIKE

IT IS GOD'S GIFT TO US.

IT IS A TIME WHEN WE CAN

PAUSE AND REFLECT AND THINK

ABOUT WHAT CHRISTMAS REALLY

IS.

IT IS A LOT MORE THAN THE

CHAOS WE COME TO EXPECT.

WE PUT THE WREATH ON OUR

CHRISTMAS TABLEMENT AND WE

LIGHT ONE CANDLE THE FIRST

WEEK AND TWO CANDLES THE

SECOND WEEK AND LEARN ABOUT

WHAT ADVENT IS.

Terry: LET'S TALK ABOUT

WHAT THIS MEANS BECAUSE THIS

ISN'T JUST A PRETTY WREATH.

THERE IS ARE SYMBOL TO ALL

OF THIS.

IT IS AR VERY

SIGNIFICANT.

THE WREATH IS ROUND BECAUSE

IT SYMBOLIZES ETERNAL LIFE,

AND THAT'S THE LIFE WE HAVE

IN CHRIST.

IT IS GREEN BECAUSE THATLIES

ITHAT ALSO AN IMAGE OF

ETERNAL LIFE.

AND THE BERRIES OF RED

BECAUSE THAT SYMBOLIZES THE

BLOOD CHRIST SHED FOR US.

Terry: SOME OF THIS IS

ALIVE, AND YOU GOT IT OUT OF

YOUR YARD.

WHICH PEOPLE CAN BE VERY

CREATIVE DOING.

AND SOME OF IT YOU ADDED

ON?

YES.

SOME YEARS I HAVE HYDRANGES

AND SOME YEARS I DON'T.

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT IS

GROWING IN MY GARDEN.

Terry: IT LOOKS

BEAUTIFUL.

BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THE

SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS ISN'T

THE SIZE OR THE BEAUTY OF

THE WREATH.

IT IS THE MESSAGE BEHIND

IT.

IT COMES OUR WAY THROUGH THE

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES EACH

WEEK.

TALK ABOUT THE COLOR OF THE

CANDLES AND WHAT THAT

MEANS.

THE COLOR PURPLE IS THE

MAIN ADVENT COLOR.

IT REPRESENTS THE ROYALTY OF

CHRIST.

PURPLE IS A ROYAL COLOR.

AND PURPLE IS ALSO THE COLOR

OF REPENTANCE.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

IS IMPORTANT IS NOT JUST TO

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AND

PREPARE OUR HEARTS, BUT TO

REALLY THINK ABOUT THE

THINGS IN OUR LIFE, TO

REFLECT AND ASK THE LORD TO

HELP US BECOME MORE WHO HE

WANTS US TO BE.

THE THIRD REASON PURPLE IS

IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE ONE OF

THE SYMBOLS OF ADVENT IS

LIGHT.

AND RIGHT BEFORE THE SUN

COMES UP, YOU'LL HAVE A

PURPLE SKY, AND AN

PROCLAMATION OF THE SUN THAT

IS JUST ABOUT TO RISE.

I THINK THAT IS VERY

SIGNIFICANT.

THE PURPLE WILL BE

PROCLAIMING CHRIST COMING.

THE PINK IS -- SOME PEOPLE

CALL IT THE MERRY CANDLE.

IN THE BIBLE IT TALKS ABOUT

PINK BEING THE ROSES.

AND THE WHITE REPRESENTS THE

PURITY OF CHRIST.

Terry: YOU SAY THIS IS

THE LAST ONE THAT YOU

LIGHT.

EACH OF THESE -- YOU BEGIN

WHERE?

FOUR WEEKS OUT --

FOUR WEEKS BEFORE

CHRISTMAS, YOU BEGIN WITH A

PURPLE CANDLE.

I WOULD PUT A WREATH ON THE

TABLE AND WE WOULD SIT DOWN

AT DINNER TAME AN TIME AND

LIGHT ONE CANDLE FOR THE

ENTIRE WEEK.

THE FIRST WEEK WE TALK ABOUT

THE PROPHECIES.

THERE ARE OVER 400

PROCLAIMING THE COMING OF

THE CHRIST.

SO WE WOULD PREPARE OUR

HEART AND LEARN ABOUT THE

PROPHECY OF THE COMINGP

CHRIST.

COMING OF CHRIST.

AND THE SECOND WEEK WE READ

ABOUT THE HOPE THAT IS IN

CHRIST.

THE THIRD WEEK WE LIKE THE

PINK CANDLE, THE JOY CANDLE,

AND WE TALK ABOUT THE JOY

THAT CHRIST BRINGS US.

AND THE FOURTH WEEK, WE

LIGHT THE LAST CANDLE AND

TALK ABOUT WORSHIP AND LEARN

ABOUT -- ONE OF THE THINGS

IMPORTANT ABOUT WORSHIP IS

WE THINK IT IS SOMETHING YOU

DO IN CHURCH.

BUT WORSHIP IS A WAY WE

SHOULD LIVE.

AND WE LEARN ABOUT JUST

WORSHIPPING THE LORD IN JUST

VERY SIMPLE AND INTIMATE

WAYS.

Terry: SO THEN ON

CHRISTMAS MORNING, YOU WOULD

LIGHT ALL OF THESE --

ALL OF THEM.

Terry: AND THE CHRIST

CANDLE?

YES.

BUT WE REALLY LIGHT THE

CHRIST CANDLE ON CHRISTMAS

EVE.

UNLESS WE'RE TOO BUSY, THEN

WE LIGHT IT ON CHRISTMAS

MORNING.

AND THEN YOU HAVE A WREATH

LIT UP, REPRESENTATIVE OF

THE LIGHT OF JESUS COMING

INTO THE WORLD.

Terry: YOU'VE PUT

TOGETHER A GREAT LITTLE

ADVENT BOOK THAT HAS

ACTUALLY DAILY DEVOTIONS

THAT PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW EACH

DAY.

SO YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO

THINK UP THIS STUFF.

LISA HAS DONE THE WORK FOR

YOU.

IN 50 SECONDS OR LESS.

Terry: AND IT ALSO HAS

GOT SOME ADVICE ON HOW YOU

CAN PUT A SIMPLER WREATH

TOGETHER, IF YOU LIKE.

THIS WREATH CAN BE OF YOUR

OWN CREATION.

BUT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT

IS THE FAMILY TIME SPENT

TOGETHER, FOCUSING ON

CHRISTMAS, THE CHRISTMAS

MESSAGE, AND ANTICIPATING

CELEBRATING THE COMING OF

CHRIST.

LISA, THANK YOU.

I LOVE YOU THE MESSAGE THIS

BRINGS, THE MESSAGE OF HOPE

AND CELEBRATION.

THANK YOU.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Terry: AND TO YOU,

TOO.

AND TO YOU.

WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE

AFTER THIS.