Purple Passion and Its Place in the Christmas Story
Colors can evoke a range of emotions, and during the Advent season, we are celebrating each week with a different color. We opened with green last week, and we move onto the color purple this week.
Purple is a symbol of passion, and is often associated with the Lenten season, representing the solemn crucifixion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This raises a question about why purple would also be part of the Christmas story.
Well, when you think about it, the answer is really quite simple. In the most famous of all
passages from the Gospel of John (3:16) we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
Without Christmas, there would be no Easter. Without Christ, there would be no
salvation. This makes the color purple all the more appropriate because without passion
there would be no redemption.
First it was the passion of God the Father, who looked out upon a broken world and
showed his compassion, grace, and mercy by sending his Son as an atonement for our
sins. Then, it was the shedding of Jesus’ blood, which actually turned from red to purple
at the time of his death because there was no longer oxygen circulating through His
body.
While the crucifixion of Jesus is an agonizing story, it is the basis of our hope for new
and eternal life. Without him, we are doomed to eternal damnation, but with him, we are
promised everlasting life in His Father’s Heavenly Kingdom.
If you have any article of clothing that is purple, try to remember to wear it this Sunday,
as we prepare to once again celebrate the birth of Jesus, but also to praise Him for his
selfless sacrifice that transformed our fate from damnation to salvation.
Until We Meet Again, Be Blessed! – Pastor John