The Candle of Love is the fourth lit during Advent. For this message, Pastor Cana Moore gives us several examples of God’s promises throughout the New Testament, where our sins consistently distance us from God. In Luke 2:1-7, we rejoice because God’s will to draw near to us is at last fulfilled through the birth of Jesus, our Emmanuel.

The Candle of Joy is the third lit during Advent. For this message, Pastor Cana Moore reflects on Luke 1:68-79, where Zechariah speaks prophetically of John’s life and ministry, preparing the way for Jesus. Similarly, we must also prepare the way because He will come again.

The Candle of Love is the second lit during Advent. For this message, Pastor Cana Moore reflects on Luke 1:26-38, where the angel Gabriel brings God’s annunciation (announcement) to Mary that she would bring God’s Son into the world. When God’s annunciations are often disruptive to our lives, but if we welcome them, we will see great reward.

The Candle of Hope is the first one lit during Advent. For this message, Pastor Cana Moore reflects on Isaiah 42:1-9. For Israel in exile, the expectation of rescue is what God hopes will create transformation. We are not unlike Israel in our exile, but our expectation is that Christ has come and will come again. This season is not just about who is coming but who we are becoming.

Psalm 65:5-13 (and Sabbath Poem VII by Wendell Berry) describe the wonders of God’s creation, its dependence on God, the glory it gives God, and our own connection to the earth. Pastor Cana Moore encourages us to take in God’s creation with gratitude and honor Him through love and stewardship.

Luke 10:25-37 contains Jesus’ well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. Pastor Cana Moore presents the less-studied point-of-view of the robbed Jewish man, who also offers an example to follow. Just as it is important to give compassion to those unlike us, we must also remember to accept the compassion offered to us, no matter the source.

The text for this message comes from I Timothy 4:6-10; 15-16, where Paul emphasizes to Timothy the necessity of practicing the spiritual disciplines. Pastor Cana Moore outlines what those disciplines are so that we can also put them into practice and grow spiritually.

In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus gives us guidance on how to pray with intention through the example of what we know as “the Lord’s Prayer”. Pastor Cana Moore breaks up the prayer into its meaningful components so we can better understand how we can pray as Jesus did, with greater boldness, love, and desire for God and His will.  

For this message, Pastor Cana looks to Luke 4:16-21 and 1:46-55 to show that Jesus and the Father side with the marginalized over the powerful. There is sin in clinging to power that and it is our duty to join the Trinity in being with and loving the marginalized.

In this message, Pastor Cana’s source verse is Proverbs 24:3-6, which speaks on wisdom. We learn what wisdom is and why it should matter to us. After understanding that, we can become wise Children of God who look to Him for the right knowledge, at the right time, and follow the right actions.