In My End Is My Beginning
A Simple, Storytelling Advent
Dear Friends,
Happy (almost) (Liturgical) New Year! Advent begins this coming Sunday and as Christians we begin a new cycle, awaiting the coming of the light –
There once was someone who did such wonderful things and said such amazing things that people began to follow him. One day they asked him who he was and he said, “I am the light of the world.”
But wait. Let’s not rush. We still have a few more days to rest in the last days of our current season.
One thing is ending and another is beginning.
As I noted at the top of last week’s reposted newsletter, I was away at the first Joint Interim Bodies meeting of the current Triennium – which is a fancy way of saying that I went to a lot of meetings at the Episcopal Church’s favorite conference center, which is actually a maritime education hub. Do with that information what you will. It also means that I didn’t answer emails for about three days and am still trying to catch up on an array of things. I could use a few more days til Advent, certainly.
“The Days Are Surely Coming…”
I could use a few more days…
It’s one of those sentence starters that, like, “I haven’t gotten around to…” or “I’ve been busy but I think things are about to slow down…” that have come to define our lives. But this week’s scripture readings are a reminder to find our anchors here and now. To be ready now. Because, as the reading from Jeremiah begins, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”
And, as Jesus says in the Gospel reading, “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down… and that day catch you unexpectedly.”
A king is coming, but he is not that kind of king. This king was a baby who was born in a barn and we must ready our hearts for him.
What will that look like?
Perhaps you’ll make an Advent wreath as a family, gathering greens and lighting candles. My dear friend and colleague the Rev. Emily Garcia has some lovely Advent wreath lighting prayers over at her site A Good and Joyful Thing.
Some of the adults in my parish will be using the Salt Project’s Starry Night devotional, which is also lovely and would work well if you have older children, while I’m offering this PCUSA resource to our families with younger children. I love its use of the Growing in God’s Love Bible texts and Psalms of Wonder.
Maybe you’ll set a small altar in purple or blue, the traditional Advent colors. If you haven’t listened to the most recent episode of Mess Makes Meaning with the wonderful Jill Gidlund, you should – she’s been such an inspiration to me in setting little office altars. (I don’t much trust the notion of trying to set one at home with my cats at this juncture.)
Maybe your Advent practice this year looks like slowing down something you would already do, like decorating the tree. Maybe you’re telling more stories about the ornaments, picking favorites and talking about them, hauling out the family tales about the pieces that make your family’s tree distinctively yours.
In fact, I’d like to make that practice one we try here. Each week as we journey through Advent, I’ll tell you about an ornament from my life. I hope you’ll tell me about some of yours.
The other day, I found myself googling a particular wooden Mickey/Minnie Mouse ornament from my own childhood. It wasn’t necessarily a favorite of mine, but my parents had brought them home from, I think, their honeymoon trip to Disney (not to judge them over here, but my father had never been and they got married at 21 and 23 years old, so I’ll give them a pass), or perhaps my first trip as a preschooler. We each had one with our name on it, which was a problem when over a decade later my first sister showed up and Disney no longer seemed to make those ornaments.
I am consistently a proponent of Traci Smith’s approach to Advent and Christmastide, as described in her book Faithful Families for Advent & Christmas. Saying ‘no’ is a practice. Slowing down and doing less is a practice.
Signing up for Godly Play’s online story circle for families is also a great way to enrich your family’s celebration of this season. While it’s scheduled for a particular time, you’ll also receive the necessary links to do it at a time that’s best for your life.
And of course, as traditions go, I would be remiss to overlook some of the distinct cultural practices – celebrating St. Nicholas, Santa Lucia, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and rituals like Las Posadas.
The darkest night is almost here. The light is coming. Let’s usher it in together.
Keeping it slow and simple –
Peace,
Bird