Advent 3, often marked by joy, invites us to pause in the middle of longing and lift our heads. The candle of joy burns brighter each week, but today it stands beside something quieter and more countercultural: honor.
In a world that honors noise, speed, and self-display, Advent teaches us a different way. It honors the unseen work of God — the slow forming of promises in hidden places. Honor in Advent is not about titles or recognition. It is about reverence: reverence for God’s timing, for one another’s dignity, and for the fragile hope growing in the dark.
Mary honored God not only with her words, but with her “Yes.” Joseph honored God through obedience that cost him his reputation. John the Baptist honored Christ by stepping back and pointing away from himself. None of them were honored by their culture. They were misunderstood, questioned, even mocked. Yet heaven still remembers their names.
True honor is not claimed; it is given. And it is given most fully to God, who chooses humility as His entrance into the world.
Advent asks us: Who and what do we honor?
Do we honor position more than people? Comfort more than calling? Volume more than truth? The third candle burns as a quiet challenge to realign our hearts.
Honoring God this season may look like reconciliation instead of revenge. It may look like listening instead of winning. It may mean protecting someone else’s name even when you could elevate your own.
And here is the paradox of Advent honor: when we humble ourselves, joy finds us. When we lift Christ high, our hearts are lifted too.
This is the joy of the third candle — not laughter alone, but the deep, settled joy of knowing that God is near, and that it is an honor to make room for him.
So today, as the pink candle flickers, we are invited to examine our hearts:
Who or what do we honor most?
Do our lives reflect the worth of Christ?
Do our words and actions honor the people around us?
Inner Altar 