The liturgical year is a great thing. As someone who grew up in a church that did not observe the church seasons, I was used to moving directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Throughout all of December, we sang Christmas carols and focused on the joy of the birth of a baby, God’s own child.
As an adult, I have embraced the liturgical seasons, with their shifting colors, moods, and songs. The joy and celebration of Christmas is, for me, enhanced by the time of preparation and reflection during these four weeks of Advent.
One of my habits during Advent is to set up an Advent wreath. Many evenings, after Gail has gone to bed, I sit in the quiet and darkened house, light the candles, and rest in solitude, watching the flames, and allowing my thoughts to wonder. I turn over the words in my head: hope, peace, joy, love. I think about how I experience these things – not just as emotions or fleeting moments, but how my own living is sustained and nurtured by these Advent longings:
What are my hopes and dreams?
Am I at peace with myself and with others?
How and where I find joy?
How the love that I have for others and the love that I receive strengthen me, complete me, and make me a better person?
We are near the end of the first week of Advent. I hope you will join me on this wonderful journey.
Friday, December 5, 2008
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We get so wrapped up in our lives and forget to stop and take the time for being blessed with the wonderful people and things in our life. Reading your advent journey has brought back a longing I have misplaced in my life for sometime now. I moved the pile of papers off my desk and brushed the dust from the covers of my prayer book that has seen me through many days of hope, dreams, joy, love and finding peace within myself.
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