December 16, 2016
by
In A Life in Letters – A Column By Jamie
Hughes
“This
first candle in the advent wreath,” I told my kids as I clicked the lighter and
set its flame atop the wick, “represents hope. What does that word mean to you
guys?”
In the
warm glow of the purple taper, we talked about everything from wishes and
Christmas presents to the thornier topics of politics and peace. And while it
wasn’t a perfect discussion, I think it accomplished the spiritual goal of the
ceremony—to get us all thinking about the future.
If
you’ve never used an advent wreath to mark the weeks leading up to Christmas, I
highly recommend doing so. It is a rich and interesting practice begun by
Martin Luther and observed by many Christians. In brief, it works like this:
Each of the four Sundays before December 25, you light a candle and reflect on
what it represents through responsive readings, songs and prayers. The first
week is focused on hope, the second on peace, the third, joy, and the fourth,
love. The color of these candles varies depending on denominational traditions,
but most use three purple candles and one pink to correspond to the colors of
the garments worn by pastors during each Sunday’s service. Also, many wreaths
have a fifth candle in the center, a white one, which represent Jesus Christ.
That one is lit on Christmas Eve.
Rather
than allow this holy season to be hijacked and turned into a glitter-drenched
nuisance to be endured rather than enjoyed, traditions like the advent wreath
help us remember that we can wait in a sense of anticipation and expectation
for the better day that is to come. It reminds us of the reason for our hope.
And, as Andy Dufresne says in the film The
Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of
things, and no good thing ever dies.”
After
the kids had gone outside to finish their Sunday playing in leaf piles, and my
husband had planted himself on the couch to watch the Atlanta Falcons trounce
the Arizona Cardinals, I sat drinking coffee and watching that single candle
flicker as it slowly grew dark in my cozy kitchen. I thought about hope—where
it comes from and what purpose it serves—and what it means to live the tension
of what many Christian thinkers refer to as the “already, but not yet.”
I also
considered hope in light of MS and the many changes it has produced in my life
and realized that rather than snuff-out my faith, the disease has actually
strengthened it.
MS is
no longer a death sentence, no longer a reason to give up on life. Sure, there
are challenges, and each of us walks a different path on the journey to healing
and wholeness. But there is more positive news coming out than ever before. I
don’t know about you, but I can’t keep up with all the new treatment options
doctors are discovering. (There are so many that entire columns on this website
are devoted to covering them!) Patients are living fuller lives thanks to
therapies and medical assistive devices. Celebrities and “average” folks
(though I use that term loosely) are having honest conversations about multiple
sclerosis and helping one another by sharing their struggles.
This is
no longer a malady that is spoken of in whispers or admitted to in shame. Call
me naïve, but I firmly believe a cure for the damnable disease we all know and
hate will be found in my lifetime.
Yes,
even in the darkest times, there is cause for hope.
In support of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research:
Never
give up!
