Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent: The Candle of Hope

The first Sunday of Advent in 2024 will be on December 1st. The theme of Advent's first Sunday is hope in the coming Messiah.

The Advent wreath has four candles - one is lit each Sunday of the four weeks of Advent. Each candle represents a new focus and time of reflection. The first week of Advent is the candle of hope. Also known as the "prophecy candle," it is in this first week of Advent that we remember Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. The candle's color is purple to symbolize the royalty of Jesus Christ. 

Use these Scriptures and prayer for the first week of Advent to reflect on the promises of God and the coming baby who would be King.

First Advent of Sunday Prayer - Hope

Heavenly Father,

Advent is a time for remembering and reflecting on the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Father, I pray that you will turn our hearts toward you as Christmas approaches.  Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season this year and miss the chance to celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas.

Father God, every word in scripture points to the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus.  The Christmas story wasn’t the beginning of that message of hope because the Old Testament is full of glimpses of your plan to redeem your people and restore them into a relationship with you, but we are able to truly begin to see and understand just how great your love for us is when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in scripture.

You showed us a glimmer of hope as you chose to send your Son into this earth through a family tree that was a little bent and scarred.  We glanced it again as you chose a tribe that was small and a city that was lowly. It can be seen when we recognize that you don’t send your Son to be birthed in a fancy palace among the wealthy and the elite, but our King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born among common shepherds and livestock in a barn.

The family wasn’t ideal.  The surroundings weren’t grand.  The situation wasn’t without its difficulties. However, you came in the midst of all of that. Emmanuel. God with us. God in the messy. God in the fallen world. God in the difficult and the troubled.  

Your plan to redeem and restore mankind was to dwell among us, fully God and fully man.  You chose to come to earth enrobed in the fragile, soft skin of a newborn baby and set aside all of the glory of heaven for one purpose.  You came to be with us.  You came to love us.  You came to die for us so that we might live.

Help us to see that you are with us.  Nothing is too difficult, too messy, or too dirty for you.  Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life through the salvation that only you, our Heavenly Father, can give when we believe in your Son, repent of our sins, and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

That first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.  Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift.

In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent Scripture for Reflection

• “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1)

• “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.” (Matthew 1:22)

• “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:6)

• “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

• “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” (Luke 2:8)

• “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

• “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

• “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

• “God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.” (Acts 5:31)

• “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Get your FREE copy of 25 Days of Advent Prayer Guide - Short daily prayers for your family to connect your heart and mind to the reason we have hope and peace this holiday season and each day to come!

This article is part of Bobbie's series of Advent wreath prayers for each week of the season. For more weeks please visit:
First Sunday of Advent Prayer - Week 1
Second Sunday of Advent Prayer - Week 2
Third Sunday of Advent Prayer - Week 3
Fourth Sunday of Advent Prayer - Week 4

Bobbie Schaeperkoetter is married to her high school sweet heart and is a homeschooling mama of a tween boy and a teen boy.  She loves Jesus with her whole heart and is just doing her best to honor him in the craziness of life.  She hopes that by sharing her efforts to do so, she can shake a little salt, shine a little light, and encourage you to do the same. 

Bobbie is also a writer and blogger at www.bobbieschae.com

She would love for you to stop by and say hello on social media at www.facebook.com/bobbieschae, on Twitter @bobbie_schae and on Instagram @Bobbieschae

Read Advent Bible verses at BibleStudyTools.com - The 28 Scriptures can be broken into 4 weeks with a passage for each day!

Prayer is a wonderful way to help cut away from distractions of the season and open your heart to prepare for the joy and hope of Christ's birth. Crosswalk.com offers 12 Advent Prayers to help you focus on the reason for the season!

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