The First Sunday of the 2023 Nativity Season!

“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:17-22, from today’s Epistle Reading

Image: Nativity Season Advent Wreath, Ascetic Life of Motherhood. On the first day of Advent (November 15th), we light the first candle. From then on, we light one additional candle each Sunday, increasing by one each week. By Christmas Eve, every candle in the circle is lit, and on the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, you light the one in the center!

Use the advent wreath in the way that best suits your family. Some people light the candle(s) every day during evening prayers, or light them and sing a hymn. Others prefer to just light them on Sundays and share the daily Bible readings of the Jesse Tree together. There is no “right way” to use an Advent Wreath – just find the way that benefits and blesses your family.