Advent Musings

[tielan]

Common Grace is an Australian movement of Christians seeking to live, speak and act more graciously, more compassionately, more like Jesus in today's world.

They do an Advent series every year (and a Lent series before Easter). This year, the topic is "Fear Not".

Day 1: Down The Humble Path:
What if, instead of fear, we waited?

Instead of forging down the path driven by our attitudes, we can choose the humble path of Christ, who always had time to sit with to those society neglected.

Their reflections are always helpful for me and my faith.

Comments

[heliopausa]

I like it! I'm reminded of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha (ie his take on Buddha) who when asked his skills said, "I can think. I can wait. I can fast."

[tielan]

We tend to DO THINGS in our society. Sometimes, though, we forget to listen.

Those are indeed useful (and underrated) skills!

[ailelie]

Thank you for sharing this. This is my second year with my own advent wreath and I've been looking for a good resource to read alongside.

[tielan]

You're welcome!

What kind of advent wreath do you use? I have to say, I hadn't really heard of an advent wreath, just an advent calendar, which is more often little gifts each day and no reflections at all.

[ailelie]

I bought a wreath online. It isn't greenery, but it is easier to keep in my closet during the year.

My church growing up always had an advent wreath, but recent churches haven't. So, last year, when I wanted to focus more on the religious side of Christmas, I drifted to getting a wreath.

According to many sites, the wreath is just to mark time (one candle per year), but some assign special meanings or themes to the candles. For example, the first candle is hope and the second is peace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath

[ladyjax]

Thank you for posting this.

I hadn't put my wreath together figuring I'd missed the start and I'm feeling like my relationship to the season is just blah this year.

(I also am currently without a spiritual home which is more about me not changing my parish membership and making a final break from my former church than anything else.)

All this to say that I appreciate this reminder and that I might even pull out my wreath tonight.

[tielan]

*hugs*

It's so difficult being between spiritual homes (until it becomes too easy). I hope you find somewhere that helps you worship and reflect in a godly manner.

Does your advent wreath have reflections for each day? (Not sure how one actually works.)

[ladyjax]

Thanks for the thoughts. I'm a little sad I won't be home for Christmas because the church that I pop into time to time has a very sweet family service on Christmas Eve that I went to last year and it turned out to be just what I needed. The on-the-fly Christmas pageant was the best.

The books I use with lighting the candles have devotionals of differing flavors; one's more contemporary and the other was authored by Jesuits. I rotate them depending on what I'm feeling. Then there's the times where I just go with the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal) because they have the appropriate scriptures for the church cycles (Year A or Year B).

Both my old parish and the one that I occasionally visit have a wreath on a stand in the sanctuary with the four colored candles (three purple, one pink) and a white candle in the middle. My home set up I just have a circular metal candle holder that will hold the four and then a separate candle holder that I'll set in the middle if I light the fifth candle. I usually skip all of the greenery.

[velithya]

This was lovely to read this morning, thank you for sharing!

[umadoshi]

They do an Advent series every year (and a Lent series before Easter). This year, the topic is "Fear Not".

Thank you for the link to this.