The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian calendar and is a time of anticipation, reflection, and preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas, each week marked by lighting a candle in the Advent wreath. The first Sunday centers on the Prophet’s Candle, also known as the Candle of Hope. Lighting the first candle calls us to wait in anticipation with the hope of Christ's arrival.
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” The first Advent candle, the purple Hope or Prophet’s Candle, symbolizes the anticipation of Christ’s coming and the assurance of the hope He brings. The Old Testament prophets carried this hope forward as they spoke of the Messiah long before His birth. Their words offered more than vague predictions; they were specific promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Of the more than 300 Messianic prophecies recorded in Scripture, several reveal remarkable details about His life centuries before He came:
These prophecies were spoken hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, and each one is fulfilled in the New Testament narrative. The details of Jesus’ lineage, birthplace, and mission reveal a divinely orchestrated plan unfolding across centuries.
The fulfillment of prophecy shows us that God is a God of both promise and completion. His words are not empty; they come to pass in His perfect timing. This is why Advent is such a powerful season of hope. The same God who fulfilled His promises in Christ continues to be faithful today. Each fulfilled prophecy is a testament to God’s reliability, reminding us that our hope rests not in circumstances, but in the One who writes history.
To understand the depth of hope symbolized in the first week of Advent, we look to the period between the Old and New Testaments, often referred to as the intertestamental period or the “400 years of silence.” After the prophet Malachi delivered his final message, there were no recorded prophetic words for centuries. For a people accustomed to hearing from God through prophets, this silence felt heavy.
During these four centuries, Israel lived under the rule of the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Political tension, cultural pressure, and spiritual longing shaped daily life. Many wondered when the Messiah would come, and some even questioned whether God had forgotten His promise. Yet even in these uncertain times, faith endured. The Scriptures were read aloud in synagogues, the Psalms were sung, and families continued to pass down the stories of God’s faithfulness. Instead of extinguishing hope, this prolonged silence sharpened it.
The Prophet’s Candle stands as a symbol of this perseverance. It reminds us that God is at work even when He feels distant, and that His silence does not equal His absence. The centuries of waiting prepared the world for the fullness of time when Christ would enter history in the most unexpected way. The waiting was long, but the promise was never forgotten.
The first week of Advent invites believers to allow hope to reshape their daily lives. Israel’s centuries-long wait for the Messiah was marked not by passive longing but by active, disciplined trust. Their faithfulness set the stage for Christ’s arrival, and their perseverance reveals an important truth: hope is not fragile. Hope is steadfast, rooted in God’s character rather than human timelines.
When Jesus was born, the centuries of silence was broken. Angels proclaimed good news to shepherds, a star guided wise men across distant lands, and the long-promised Savior entered a world longing and ripe for redemption. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus brought hope far greater than political liberation. He brought restoration for the broken, salvation for the lost, light for those in darkness, and eternal life for all who believe.
This is the hope embodied in the Prophet’s Candle: hope that endures through silence, hope that shines in darkness, hope that cannot be extinguished. As we light this candle, we remember that Christ’s hope is not temporary or uncertain. It is living, active, and available to us in every circumstance.
The candle’s light symbolizes the movement from anticipation to arrival and from promise to fulfillment—a pattern God continues to work in the lives of His people today. Every season of waiting becomes an opportunity to trust, lean in, and prepare our hearts for what God will do next.
To observe Advent Week 1 at home, place an Advent wreath where your family gathers and light the purple Prophet’s Candle on the first Sunday. Read a prophecy about Jesus’ coming, such as Isaiah 9:2-7 or Micah 5:2-6, and pray together:
“Lord, as we light the Prophet’s Candle this first Sunday of Advent, fill us with hope rooted not in the world’s promises but in Yours. Bring light to our lives and communities as we prepare for Christ’s coming. Amen.”
As you welcome the light of the first candle into your home, allow this week to draw your heart into the deeper story of Advent. This season invites us to anticipate Christ’s coming just as Israel once did. The hope of Advent reaches beyond our present circumstances and invites us to look toward the day when Christ will return and complete the work He began.
