George H. Vander Weit

VARIATIONS ON THE UNITY CANDLE

The unity candle is a familiar sight at weddings. In the center of an arrangement is a candle that is not lit, flanked by two that are. At the appropriate time in the ceremony, the bride and groom move to this arrangement, pick up the two lit candles, together light the center candle, and then extinguish their candles. Sometimes the action is accompanied by music, sometimes by words from the minister, who says something along these lines:

Many congregations invite individuals or families to read Scripture and light candles in an Advent wreath at the beginning of Advent services. The readings provided here are correlated with the Scripture readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. Three sets are provided for each Sunday in Year A, which begins with Advent, 1995. Churches may choose readings the Old Testament, New Testament, or the salms, depending on the theme of the services during Advent.

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT