Advent Candle Readings for Each Sunday and Christmas Eve
Advent candle readings for 2026: a Bible reading, a response for the congregation and a prayer for each candle, with printable cards and slides.
What changed on October 23, 2026: Added the full candle readings and downloads, and replaced the wreath history with the founding institution's account.
Short answer
Advent candle readings are the Scripture, responses and prayer said as a church lights one more candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas. Most churches name the four candles hope, peace, joy and love, and light the white Christ candle on Christmas Eve. In 2026 the first candle is lit on Sunday, November 29.
- First Sunday of Advent, 2026, and the first candle
- November 29
- Christmas Eve, a Thursday, when the Christ candle is lit
- December 24
- The usual wreath, with a white candle in the center
- 3 purple, 1 pink
On this page
- What each Advent candle means
- First Sunday: the candle of hope
- Second Sunday: the candle of peace
- Third Sunday: the candle of joy
- Fourth Sunday: the candle of love
- Christmas Eve: the Christ candle
- Who reads and who lights the candles
- The slides and the printed cards
- Lighting the wreath at home
- Questions people ask
Advent candle readings are the Scripture, responses and prayer a church says as it lights one more candle on the Advent wreath each Sunday before Christmas. For Advent 2026, read the passages below with the congregation and pray together as each candle is lit. Families can use the questions and answers when lighting a wreath at home.
Print the readings for your readers in large type, or put them on the screen. The slides set every line the way a worship leader would, one phrase to a line and two lines to a slide, with the congregation’s lines in bold.
ProPresenter users can import the slides as text, with a blank line between slides.
What each Advent candle means
| Sunday | Date in 2026 | Candle | Also called | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Sunday of Advent | November 29 | Purple, hope | The prophets’ candle | Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 |
| Second Sunday of Advent | December 6 | Purple, peace | The Bethlehem candle | Micah 5:2a, 4-5a |
| Third Sunday of Advent | December 13 | Pink, joy | The shepherds’ candle | Luke 2:8-14 |
| Fourth Sunday of Advent | December 20 | Purple, love | The angels’ candle | 1 John 4:9-10 |
| Christmas Eve | Thursday, December 24 | White, Christ | The Christ candle | John 1:1-5, 14 |
Advent means “coming.” For four Sundays the church reads the promises God made about the King he would send, and remembers that Christ will come again. Each Sunday the church lights the candles from the weeks before and one new candle, so the wreath grows brighter as Christmas comes.
Churches name the candles in more than one way. Most use hope, peace, joy and love. Others use the older names for the prophets, Bethlehem, the shepherds and the angels, and some light love on the second Sunday and peace on the fourth. The readings below follow the most common order, and the Bethlehem reading falls on the peace Sunday, so a church using either set of names can read them as written.
The candles are usually purple, the color of the Advent season in the church calendar, and some churches use blue. The third candle is pink because rose is the old color of the third Sunday, called Gaudete Sunday from the Latin for “rejoice.” The wreath dates from the 1800s. Das Rauhe Haus traces the custom to its founder Johann Hinrich Wichern in Hamburg in 1839. He used candles to help children follow the days until Christmas.
First Sunday: the candle of hope
Light the first candle as the reader reads Isaiah’s promise of a child who would sit on David’s throne and bring light to people in the dark.
The reader comes to the wreath. Three candles are purple, one is pink, and the white Christ candle stands in the center.
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
LeaderThe people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
PeopleOn those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
LeaderGod promised a Son who would reign on the throne of David forever.
PeopleGod keeps his word, and we wait for Christ with hope.
Light the first purple candle.
All pray Lord Jesus, you are the light the prophets saw from far off. Keep us watching for you this month, and keep us ready for the day you come again. Amen.
At home with children
ChildWhy do we light a candle today?
ParentGod promised to send a light into a dark world, and he kept his promise when Jesus was born.
Second Sunday: the candle of peace
Micah named Bethlehem as the town the promised ruler would come from. The congregation’s last line, “And He will be our peace,” is the end of Micah 5:5’s first sentence.
2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel. 4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5 And He will be our peace.
Micah 5:2a, 4-5a
LeaderBethlehem was small among the clans of Judah.
PeopleOut of Bethlehem came the ruler God promised.
LeaderHe will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD.
PeopleAnd He will be our peace.
Light the first candle, then the second purple candle.
All pray Prince of Peace, you made peace between God and sinners by the blood of your cross. Quiet our hearts and our homes this week, and make us people who make peace. Amen.
At home with children
ChildWhy is this the candle of peace?
ParentJesus came to bring us back to God, and he teaches us to make peace with each other.
Third Sunday: the candle of joy
The angel’s news to the shepherds gives this Sunday its name. On a wreath with a pink candle, this is the Sunday to light it.
8 And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. 9 Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! 12 And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
Luke 2:8-14
LeaderDo not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
PeopleToday in the city of David a Savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord!
LeaderGlory to God in the highest,
Peopleand on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!
Light the first two candles, then the pink candle.
All pray Father, give us the joy the shepherds had, and send us out like them to tell what we have heard and seen. Amen.
At home with children
ChildWhy is this candle pink?
ParentIt marks the Sunday of joy. Christmas is close, and the angel said the good news is for all the people, so it is for us.
Fourth Sunday: the candle of love
John’s first letter explains why God sent his Son. Christmas Day is five days away, so this is a good Sunday to tell the church the Christmas Eve service times.
9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10
LeaderThis is how God’s love was revealed among us:
PeopleGod sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
LeaderGod loved us first.
PeopleHe sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Light the first three candles, then the fourth purple candle.
All pray Father, thank you for loving us before we ever loved you. Teach us to love each other the way you have loved us in Jesus. Amen.
At home with children
ChildWhy do we light a candle for love?
ParentGod loved us first and gave us his Son, the best gift anyone has ever given.
Christmas Eve: the Christ candle
The white candle in the center is lit last, for Christ himself. In a candlelight service, the flame for every hand in the room comes from this candle. The Christmas Eve order of service puts this reading right before Silent Night.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 14
LeaderIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
PeopleThe Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
LeaderThe Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
PeopleWe have seen His glory, full of grace and truth.
Light the four candles, then the white Christ candle in the center.
AllGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!
All pray Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to us. You came once to Bethlehem, and you will come again in glory. Keep us faithful until that day. Amen.
At home with children
ChildWhy is the middle candle white?
ParentIt is the Christ candle. We light it for Jesus, the light of the world, because the one we waited for has come.
Who reads and who lights the candles
Most churches give each Sunday to a different family: a parent reads and the congregation answers, and a child lights the candle. Choose the five families in early November and send each one its page from the PDF. Ask them to read it out loud twice at home and once in the room with the microphone before their Sunday. Nervous readers go fast, so tell them to read slower than feels natural.
Light the candles with a long-reach lighter, and keep a snuffer by the wreath. Put an adult beside any child holding a flame. Set the wreath on a stand that will not tip, with no greenery, paper or cloth close to the candles. The National Fire Protection Association’s 2014-2018 data puts December and January at 11 percent of home candle fires each. Three in five began when something that could burn was too close to the flame. If your building does not allow open flames, battery candles keep the same order.
Light the candles after the first song and before the sermon.
The slides and the printed cards
The PDF gives each Sunday its own page in large type. Leader lines are in plain type and the congregation’s lines in bold, and the instructions for the people up front are in grey, so nobody reads them aloud by mistake.
The PowerPoint deck opens with a title slide for each Sunday, then the reading and the responses. Each slide holds two short lines, each one a phrase that fits on one row, and the congregation’s lines are bold so the room knows when to speak. The deck skips the instructions, which stay in the reader’s hands.
For other passages, such as the lectionary readings for each Sunday, type the reference into the church slides tool and it builds the verse slides the same way.
Lighting the wreath at home
A family with a wreath at home can light the same candle each night of that week, read the passage, and say the prayer together. Use the question and answer to discuss the passage at the dinner table. The Advent readings guide has a daily Bible reading plan from November 29 to Christmas Eve.
For songs to sing with these readings, open the Advent hymns, such as Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Their words are in the public domain, so they can go on the screen and in the bulletin.
Questions people ask
What are the four Advent candles called?
Most churches call them hope, peace, joy and love, lit in that order on the four Sundays of Advent. Some churches name them for the prophets, Bethlehem, the shepherds and the angels instead. The white candle in the center is the Christ candle, lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Why is one Advent candle pink?
The pink, or rose, candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. Rose is the color of that Sunday in the old church calendar, which called it Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for rejoice. Churches that name the candles hope, peace, joy and love light it for joy.
What do you say when you light an Advent candle?
A reader reads a short passage of Scripture, the leader and the congregation say a response, the candle is lit, and everyone prays together. The full words for each Sunday and for Christmas Eve are on this page, free to print and project.
Does a church need a wreath to keep Advent?
No. A church with no wreath keeps the same four Sundays by reading and preaching the promises of Christ's coming. The readings on this page work with or without candles.
Who should light the Advent candles?
Most churches ask a different family each week, with a parent reading and a child lighting the candle. Put an adult beside any child holding a lighter, and give each family its reading a week ahead so they can practice it out loud.
Sources
- Terms and Conditions, Berean Bible. Read October 23, 2026.
- Year B - Advent - Revised Common Lectionary 2026-27, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Read October 12, 2026.
- Advent, Advent, die erste Kerze brennt, Das Rauhe Haus. Read October 23, 2026.
- Advent Wreath, Reformed Worship. Read October 23, 2026.
- Home Candle Fires, National Fire Protection Association. Read October 23, 2026.
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