Lighting the candles of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace during Advent, we recognize and celebrate these virtues. In conclusion, we light the Christ candle—honoring the Son of God, the ultimate expression of each virtue, and the One who brings light into the world.
Perhaps we should consider an additional meaning for the Christ candle. The words of Paul in Galatians 3:26-29 tell us that we who are “children of God through faith . . . are all one in Christ Jesus.” Should we not recognize and emphasize our “oneness in Christ” in the spirit of the Christmas season? Should we not consider the Christ candle a Unity candle (a staple at Christian weddings) to emphasize our oneness with and to Christ and fellow Christ-followers?
Paul explains that believers are uniformly attired. We are “clothed . . . with Christ”—united with Him in salvation through His death, resurrection, and righteousness. We are not differentiated by ethnicity or social status or gender—for “there is neither Jew nor Gentile. . . nor slave nor free . . . nor is there male and female.” Through faith in Christ, we are the spiritual children of Abraham “and heirs according to the promise” of God.
Our Unity with Christ and our fellow-believers should be of great importance in our preparation for the Christ event, the arrival of “the light of the world,”
“All those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with one another.”
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
John Parrish