Advent Confidential

As the Church enters a new year, the first four Sundays (which happen to begin on December 1 this year) mark Advent, a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. RevGalBlogPals asked about our favorite memories or traditions for today’s FridayFive Advent Confidential.

Growing up, my family (1) had Advent calendars (2), and each day in December began with our opening a cardboard window and trying not to peak ahead to the manger scene hidden under the double doors marked “24” or sometimes "25". Sometimes they had verses but often they were just pictures related to the story of the birth of the infant Jesus. At least one year, on Sunday nights during Advent, my mother played carols at the piano while a fire was lit in the fire place, and my dad read from the King James Bible at our very own wreath lighting (3).

In those days, in the Episcopal tradition, we used the pink and purple candles. The colors of candles, the variety of four-fold meanings of the candles, and the significance of where and when the wreath lighting happens in worship are all nuances that were lost to me before going to seminary. If your curiosity is piqued, you can check out Advent resources on Text this Week, or from Worshiping with Children.

As an adult, my favorite Advent memories are from the soup suppers (4) and worship services on Wednesday evenings. Admittedly, when my children were younger, I figured we had done well just to slow down enough to get to the supper, so we often left before the actual worship began. Last year, I participated in community Advent services that brought together four different congregations, rotating the cooking responsibilities as well as the hosting of the services. As fewer people attend the midweek worship services for Advent, they are becoming harder to find, but these special services provide a much-needed chance to reset and refocus (5), an art often lost by the third day of a busy work week.

For me, this year’s season of waiting is punctuated by the different kinds of waiting we have happening in our house as I await my first call as the pastor of a congregation and my daughters await news of school acceptances for next school year. We are, as the people were at the time of Jesus’ birth, filled with hope and anticipation at what God is doing, and we wish and pray for peace and healing in this season.