Wycliffe College is using festive decorations to invite passersby to learn about Christian truths.
For the third year, a lighted tree display on the College lawn, at the corner of Queen’s Park Crescent West and Hoskin Avenue, features five tall trees: three purple, one pink, and one white tree — symbolizing the traditional colours of the candles in an Advent wreath. A banner at the site of the installation directs people to wycliffecollege.ca/advent, where they can learn about Advent (a season in the Christian calendar of preparation for the coming of Christ into the world).
One of Canada’s oldest evangelical, theological graduate schools, located at the heart of the University of Toronto campus in the core of this nation’s most diverse and populous city, Wycliffe is well positioned to speak into our culture — particularly during the Christmas season, when hearts tend to be more open and receptive to spiritual messages.
“The Wycliffe Lights advent trees are beautiful. And they are a beautiful way of bearing witness to the truth of God’s love for us in Christ,” says Stephen Andrews, Principal of Wycliffe College. “Our prayer is that they will serve as a reminder to all who see them, to contemplate the light of Christ and the hope offered in Him.”
“Advent is a season often obscured by contemporary culture,” explains Judy Paulsen, Professor of Evangelism and Director of the Institute of Evangelism at Wycliffe. “When people hear the word ‘advent’ they think of chocolate calendars marking a countdown to the big event of opening Christmas gifts. That is why, in tumultuous times such as these, the true message of Advent is needed more than ever.”
With roots in the Anglican tradition, for more than a century, Wycliffe has trained students from all denominations to serve the global Church, to share the Good News of the Gospel, and to be lights to a world that needs them. Today, hundreds of Wycliffe alumni serve in a variety of vocational settings around the world. From exercising leadership in the Church at the highest levels, to serving the impoverished in the poorest communities, Wycliffe students help people understand the light found in Jesus.
Want more? Download the Family Advent Meditations and the 2018 Weekly Advent Devotionals staring December 1st, 2018.
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