Today is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. In general Protestant religions, Advent Sundays anticipate the weeks before Christ’s birth through worship services focused on the events preceding Christ’s birth, including reading scripture, singing Christmas hymns and carols, and lighting candles – one for each Sunday arranged in a wreath (flat – on a stand or table) and one large candle in the center, the Christ candle, for Christmas Eve.  Each week highlights a theme: Hope (Week 1), Peace (Week 2), Joy (Week 3), and Love (Week 4). Participating in these services was one of our favorite parts of serving in the Chaplaincy.

This angel carrying a candle is made of stained glass by an artist named Salli Hapner. Salli had a workshop at a small, charming amusement park called The North Pole, located near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sarah first went to the North Pole when she was about eleven. Workshops at the North Pole are set up so that visitors can watch the artisans at work. Sarah was fascinated by the process of stained glass, often forgoing rides on the carousel or ferris wheel to watch Salli work. When she saw this angel, she really wanted it. The price was $2.oo. Though that price seems low today, it was equal to about $18.00 in 2025 money. At 25 cents a week for allowance, that was a long time for an eleven-year old to save! Many years later when we were stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, Sarah was able to take classes in stained glass, something she still likes to do. She traces her interest back to those summer afternoons watching Salli turn bits of lead and glass into luminous treasures.