The Third Sunday of Advent, 11 December 2011
The Third Sunday of Advent - 11 December 2011 Isaiah 62:1-4. 8-11 Psalm 126 I Thessalonians 5:16-24 St. John 1:6-8, 19-28 Background: The Advent Wreath The use of the Advent Wreath by Christians may be more of a modern innovation than an ancient tradition. Some commentators talk about wreaths with candles being used in northern European countries as a reminder of the continuity of life, even in the harsh winter. Other see the wreath being introduced into German churches in the 16 th Century, but one historian has located the innovation to a Lutheran Pastor, Johann Heinrich Wichern (1808 – 1881) who used a wreath in his work with poor families in the cities of Germany. It began to be used amongst German Roman Catholics in the 1920s and by Lutherans in North American around 1930. The custom spread to Anglicans and others as well. The Orthodox have taken to the wreath as well, only