Advent Candle Lighting Liturgy

By: Bethany Apelquist

This liturgy was created by Rev. Bethany Apelquist, a long-time member of the Mercy Community who now pastors a church in Warner Robins, GA. Bethany’s church community is using Mercy’s devotionals throughout the season of Advent and she wanted to incorporate themes and quotes from the devotionals into her candle-lighting liturgy. Please enjoy or feel free to use them in your own church communities.

Week One of Advent: Hope

Today we light the first candle of our advent season, the hope candle. What is hope? Hope in the words of Isaiah looks like taking our swords and transforming them into plowshares, or tools of peace and love. Ivan Cooley writes this week “so now I can put down my sword, pick up my plow, and get the ground ready for seeds of love that have been planted in my life. I will lay down my spear and use a pruning hook to maintain this love and keep it beautiful. I will love ALL people, and I will study war no more.” We light this candle with that hope that Ivan speaks of ringing in our hearts.

Week Two of Advent: Peace

Today we light the second candle of our advent season, the peace candle. What is peace? Peace is what God wants for each one of us. David Swank writes “These types of wars seem like a never ending thing. People are fighting over the money and power they want to gain for themselves, spending billions on utter foolishness, where there are thousands of poor and needy people in dire need of important necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene products. But, I trust that God wants better for us- that God wants us to care for one another.” We light this candle with the vision of Peace, something better for us and for our world.

Week Three of Advent: Joy

Today we light the third candle of our advent season, the Joy candle. What is Joy? Joy is what we hear in the words of Mary’s prayer, when she says “in the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.” Isaiah Lewis writes “(Mary) takes joy in the radical mercy God is showing everyone” he goes on to say that Mary outlines this joy as “oppressive and oppressed people being up on equal footing, and everyone having enough to eat” We light the Joy candle with the joy of Mary’s prayer for a future that is marked by love and justice.

Week Four of Advent: Love

Today we light the fourth candle of our advent season, the Love candle. What is love? Love is the freedom that Jesus users into this world. Jennifer Arnold writes “Jesus’s death reminds us that when there is big enough love, death is not the final word. Resurrection reminds us that love will always win. When we rest in the truth of everlasting love that cannot die we are finally free.” We light the Love Candle remembering God’s never ending love for us.

The Christ Candle

Tonight, on the eve of the birth of our savior we light the Christ Candle. Who is Christ? Christ is the light of the world born to us to reveal God to us. Pastor Brittany writes “That’s how God comes to be with us– delivered by a poor weary women… it reveals the depth of God’s love for human beings, that relational, earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting, messy, every-day love, and that changes everything. We light the Christ Candle holding the hope, peace, joy and love that Christ brings into our weary world.

Brittany grew up in Jacksonville, Arkansas. She first learned about God and what it means to be a church community that loves and cares for one another from First Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, AR. Brittany graduated from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. After teaching abroad and working for a travel company, Brittany began her studies at Columbia Theological Seminary, taking steps to answer a call to ministry that she had felt since her childhood. Upon moving to Atlanta, Brittany’s passion for being present with those on the margins led her to volunteer at Peachtree and Pine’s Taskforce for the Homeless and to become a pastoral intern with Mercy Church. After completing her MDiv at Columbia, Brittany began a PhD program at Emory University, but left to answer God’s call on her life to full-time ministry as a pastor to our community. Brittany was jointly ordained by the PC(USA) and Mercy Community Church in 2018. Outside of Mercy, what gives Brittany life and joy is spending time with her husband Cooper and daughter Emi, traveling via plane, train, and foot, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and nerding out over Karl Barth.

Contact Brittany at brittany@mercyatl.org.

Holly grew up in Ocala, Florida where she was nurtured by her faith community and encouraged to find ways to be a leader in the community. Holly graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Psychology. After a period of discernment, she was called to a church community in Lady Lake, Florida where she served as the Youth Director for over six years. She began her seminary career in 2014 at Columbia Theological Seminary where she earned her Masters of Divinity and Master of Arts in Practical Theological (Pastoral Care). During her time in seminary, Holly began attending Mercy Community Church where she fell in love with the community. Upon graduation, Holly served for two years as a Chaplain Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital and specialized in pastoral care through the lens of behavioral health.

In her free time, Holly loves to exercise, travel, spend time with her family, read, and organize.

Tracey grew up in the Chicagoland area with a small but close-knit family. Her mother was Catholic, her father Lutheran and she was brought up in a household that always acknowledged God. She attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a B.S. in Family and Social Services in 1997. Before she earned her college degree, she also attended the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and graduated with a baking a pastry certificate. Throughout the past 20 years Tracey lived in a variety of places including Michigan, Seattle, India, and Brazil. She has called Atlanta home since 2016 where she lives with her daughters, Riley, and Shayla.

Tracey chose to care for her young family on a full-time basis until 2019 when she began her studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. She graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2022 and was ordained as a pastor by Mercy Community Church that same year. Tracey’s call to seminary was rooted in a deep desire to lead and live through her faith in God. She attended seminary with a hope of learning what that could mean while also knowing her path was not clear. As she served as an intern at Mercy Community Church for two years throughout her seminary studies, she began to discern that pastoring this community was a call she wanted to accept. Tracey loves to engage with the community through artistic expression, pastoral care and cooking delicious meals. She is honored to be a member of the Mercy community.

When she’s not with the Mercy crew, Tracey loves to dabble in all things creative, hang out with her fabulous teenage daughters, spend time with her pets, and run a few miles while contemplating the meaning of life.

Mercy Community Church Atlanta

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Pastor Chad

Pastor Brittany

Pastor Holly

Pastor Lattimore

Pastor Tracey