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Lighting the Advent Wreath-Second Sunday of Advent

Two lit candles on an advent "wreath"

Week 2: Peace
(Dec. 10, 2017)
The four candles on this wreath count down through the season of winter’s dark leading into the light. Advent is a time of waiting, of cultivating patience. This season asks us to hold faith that all that we are becoming is still awakening under the surface of our lives.

On this second Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of peace with the words* of
Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun:

“If we want there to be peace in the world, we have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid in our hearts, to find the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That’s the true practice of peace.”

May this time of waiting inspire our courage. May we find the soft spot, in the pressures of this season, and stay with it as we discern our way forward. May we be filled with loving kindness; may we be at ease, and discover the true practice of peace within us, so that there might be peace in the world.

*quote from Practicing Peace in Times of War

You're invited to use this in conjunction with words for candle lighting on:

About the Author

Erika Hewitt speaking into a microphone
Erika A. Hewitt

Erika Hewitt is the UUA's Minister of Worship Arts and Editor of Braver/Wiser, a weekly spirituality series. In addition to serving the UUA half-time, Erika also serves as a wedding officiant in Maine....

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