Board of World Mission Advent Wreath Lighting Liturgies for 2024

As we approach the Advent season, we are excited to share a special resource – a four-week liturgy for use in lighting the Advent wreath candles. This resource was created as a collaboration between the Board of World Mission, the Moravian Ministries Foundation, and the Southern Province Commission on Congregational Development (with many thanks to the Interprovincial Board of Communications for their assistance in promoting it!). This partnership between Moravian agencies reflects our shared commitment to supporting and strengthening the Moravian Church through collective action, showing that we are stronger when we serve and worship together.

The Advent Candle Lighting Liturgies for 2024 provides a short liturgical guide through the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, connecting these Advent themes with the real-life ministries of Moravian congregations and organizations. Each week’s liturgy is rooted in Moravian tradition, offering powerful examples of the Church’s work across the world. These liturgies also create space for your congregation to highlight the ways you are bringing these themes to life through your own ministries and outreach.

In further recognition of our shared work, each Advent theme has been paired with a grant category from MMFA.  In many cases, the ministries highlighted reflect work supported by the BWM and/or MMFA – and often, that support comes through generous gifts from individuals and congregations – so we hope you enjoy hearing and praying about the work we are doing together as a church!

Each week, there is a sentence that ends “through our shared ministry…”. We encourage you to use this space to have folks in your worship setting share ministries on their hearts and minds that match that week’s theme. We hope this will further help us recognize the ways the Moravian Church and local communities are spreading Christ’s light in the world.

This resource is available in both English and Spanish, and we are providing not only a Word documentversion but also PowerPoint slides to be used or adapted for projection during worship services. We hope this flexibility will make the resource accessible and engaging for all who wish to utilize it.

Through these liturgies, we are invited to remember that Jesus is the Light of the World, and we, as His followers, are called to reflect that light in our communities. We pray this resource will enrich your Advent worship, bringing together your congregation to celebrate and share the hope, peace, joy, and love that comes through Christ’s coming into the world.

Shared with gratitude for your ministry and partnership in this Advent journey!

MMFA • CCD • BWM • IBOC

Download the Advent Wreath Liturgies in Word (English) (Spanish)

Download the Advent Wreath Liturgies formatted for standard bulletins (Word) (PDF).

PowerPoint slides with Liturgies (basic purple):

NEW! PowerPoint slides with Liturgies with ministry images: