Advent

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. In this sacred piece, Advent is most certainly referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This song is about Jesus and a tradition for the days leading up to Christmas.

Advent begins four weeks before Christmas, and one way we celebrate is with an Advent wreath. The wreath has four or five candles depending on how you celebrate, and you light a new candle each week. Here are the candles on the Advent wreath, and what they represent:

• Week 1: Hope (purple candle)
• Week 2: Peace (purple candle)
• Week 3: Joy (pink candle)
• Week 4: Love (purple candle)
• Christmas Day: The Christ Candle (white candle, if your wreath includes it)

The wreath itself is circular, representing God's eternity, and the evergreens represent everlasting life. The song talks about all this, borrowing from scripture, paraphrasing John 8:12 ("I am the Light of the world…") and Isaiah 9:6 ("For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us…")

This majestic song is "minor modal" and though it's in D minor, there are F sharps in it. Something to discuss, if you care to. It also has an unusual blend of instruments – electric guitar and oboe anyone? But it sounds amazing, with an orchestra on top of a rhythm section and 2-part vocals. As with most Plank Road songs, part 2 is optional, but sounds great if your singers can pull it off. There's an isolated rehearsal track for this online.