Next time won’t you sing with me…
Advent Week 4: The Candle of Love
👋 Welcome welcome. In my last post, I shared that I’ve launched a new section on my Substack called Pouring Coffee in the Dark—a space for quiet, heartfelt reflections on God, motherhood, marriage, and the moments that shape my life. Throughout December, I’ve been exploring the Advent season, writing about the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and finally, Love. If you missed any of those posts, you can catch up on them here. Looking ahead, my next entries in this series will focus on marriage—how I met my husband, how he proposed, and why he’ll never let me forget he’s from Brooklyn. Stay tuned!
When I was about four or five, I would cry every time I heard the song Angel Baby on the radio. I'd sway and sing along to what I thought the lyrics were and begin to cry and cry as I kept swaying. My mom never stopped me or tried to make me laugh to shift the mood. Instead, she’d turn the radio up louder, allowing me to be fully in the moment. She’d watch me with a soft smile as if she understood the small but mighty feelings taking over my little heart.
I have no idea why it made me cry, maybe because the melody was slow, and to my four-year-old brain, that meant it was a sad song. But it is something I did.
Because my mom knew I loved the song and had some kind of connection to it, she ended up buying me a dress that had a beautiful black velvet top with a chubby little angel on it and a puffy skirt. Funny enough, this past October, my daughter dressed up as Wonder Woman, and her costume had the same silhouette as that dress!
Anyway, a few nights ago, the song Angel Baby came to mind. I don’t know what brought it up, but in the quiet hours of the morning, as I often find myself awake, I started singing it. After doing some light research on the artist and googling the lyrics, one line stood out to me:
No one could love you, like I do.
Such a strong, beautiful statement.
If you know anything about Advent, you should know this it’s a journey through the Biblical story pointing out how all the promises of God find their yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). In this final week of Advent, we reflect on Love. What does love truly mean? For centuries, books have been written, movies made, and countless brilliant minds have sought to define it—and many have succeeded in their own ways. I’ve read beautiful stories, thoughtful articles, and heard powerful sermons about the essence of true love. Here’s what I’ve come to understand: Love was defined on the cross.
We all know the verse:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
To me, love begins with generosity (I mentioned this in the third one): For God so loved the world that He gave. And it’s inseparable from sacrifice: He gave His only Son. What greater sacrifice could there be? What greater act of love is there?
If anyone could sing those lyrics—no one could love you like I do—with absolute truth and a pure heart, it’s God.
There are so many people in my life that I love deeply. But even the greatest depths of my love pale in comparison to the love God has for me. No one can love me like He does. No one can show me love in its fullest the way God has—and continues to do every single day.
As the year comes to an end, what better way to close it than by reflecting on God’s love for us? On His love for humanity? On true, unadulterated love, defined on the cross and still showing up for us.
A love like no other. ❤️
1The Advent Wreath
On the last Sunday of Advent, a fourth candle on the Advent Wreath is lit. Traditionally, this purple candle has been called the “Angel Candle” (Angel Baby 😉) or Candle of Love and represents the peace that Christ’s birth brings to earth. All four of the candles around the Advent Wreath are now burning, each at a different height. Only one candle remains: the center, white Christ Candle that is lit on Christmas Eve, representing the pure Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.
A few weeks ago I shared in my notes how I like to pray, using the word pray as an acronym which makes it fun and easier to remember. So if you’re looking for a good prayer for this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, here’s one I prayed this morning:
2P (praise): Thank you for your death and resurrection, thank you for the power of your blood. I am overwhelmed by your affection, the kindness and the greatness of your love.
R (repent): Lord, forgive me for loving others on my own terms, for letting my ego block the path to true and pure love. Forgive me for relying on my own strength and trusting in myself to love others, instead of reflecting the boundless love you have shown me.
3A (ask): Create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
4Y (yield): Lord I trust in you with all my heart and won’t lean on my own understanding; in all my ways I will submit to you and I know you will keep my path straight.
A lyric from the song Nothing is holding me back by Bryan & Katie Torwalt
Proverbs 51
Proverbs 3
🙏🏾🙏🏾
This was exactly what my soul needed on this Sunday morning, thank you my friend.