ClobberBlog | Mormonism, Evangelical Christianity

A note about this series: Around this time every year, my friend Eric Huntsman, who is an associate professor of religion at Brigham Young University, sends out a series of e-mails offering reflections on Advent. As I’ve explained elsewhere, Huntsman is a Latter-day Saint with a deep love and respect for other Christian traditions. Since I have begun attending the Evangelical Covenant Church—a denomination descended from the Lutheran tradition which observes the liturgical calendar—my husband and I have decided to celebrate Advent as a family this year. As such I am sharing Huntsman’s Advent posts here, with his permission.

The biblical citations come from the King James Version. The only changes I have made to Huntsman’s series are to embed videos of the suggested Advent hymns in with the posts. All other material is his alone.

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Second Sunday of Advent: Love

The Second Candle represents the love of God that he has shared with us in the person of his Son, and which Jesus Christ showed us through his sacrifice and death. This love, the pure love of Christ, we are enjoined to share with each other.

This candle also represents God’s covenant with Abraham, promising him an eternal glory and seed as numerous as the sands of the sea. The Lord further promised Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed, a promise that received its ultimate fulfillment in the coming of Jesus Christ through Abraham’s line.

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands . . .” (Isaiah 49:13–16)

“And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou? And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins . . . And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh . . . And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.” (1 Nephi 11:14–22)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17)

Suggested Carol: “O, Come, All Ye Faithful”

Emphasis on the refrain, “Oh come, let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.”

Here is “O, Come, All Ye Faithful” performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:

And here it is performed by Rebecca St. James (yes, I really love her Christmas album):

Have a happy Second Advent Sunday!