Preparing for Advent and Christmas

(I have posted this at storyformed.wordpress.com along with a few more Advent and Christmas ideas!)

The calendar I made this year provides a cycle for telling the stories of God. It gives us a framework for listening, celebrating and doing – and provides natural opportunities for all of us (including our children) to grow in wisdom and faith.

So as we come to the end of a calendar year (at least using the Christian Season calendar), I want to be intentional about how we begin this next cycle of seasons – Advent and Christmas. I know if I do not prepare now, I will have many good intentions but few plans that come to fruition.

Here is some of what we plan to do to get ready and to enter the Advent and Christmas seasons:

Placing visual and symbolic elements on our kitchen table

Since our table is the gathering place of the family each evening, it seems the best venue to display our symbolic elements. We will spend time each evening reading, reflecting, and praying so I want there to be visual elements around us too.

I am going to use a long blue table runner (blue is the color of Advent). The Nativity will be placed at the center of the table but will not contain Mary, Joseph and the Baby until the last week. I will have 6 candles on the table as well representing 6 different names and stories we will tell over the 4 weeks of Advent (we will use the “O Antiphon” writings found in the blog).

Evening Prayer

I am writing some biblical study and prayer forms that we will use each evening. It includes different passages from the scriptures that point us toward Advent and the story of the coming of the Christ Child. We will read it together and engage certain stories on specific evenings. (I will give calendar dates for what we will do when.)

For those will little ones, I will put in an alternate form. Perhaps only one of the passages of scripture and then a short activity would suit certain families (and attention spans) better.

New Year’s Eve Party

We are inviting friends over on Saturday, November 29^th for a “New Year’s Eve Party” because for those of us following the calendar, November 30^th begins a new year and marks the beginning of Advent. We plan to use the colors from the each season in decorating the table and we will all share a meal together. We will probably talk a little about each season and its significance and the Story that we tell during that season that shapes us.

We may spend some time in the “Hallel” Psalms (Ps. 113-118) because those songs focus so much on thanking God and we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving as a nation. We will most likely take from the Rosh Hashanah tradition of eating apples dipped in honey to remind us of God’s faithfulness in the year that has just past and looking forward to tasting His sweetness in the year to come.

(This is a new event for us, so it is a big adventure. We’ll let you know how it went and everything we did after it is over!)

Gathering Books for Christmas

During Advent, I will be pulling out my 12 favorite Christmas books and wrapping them up. Then, during each day of the 12 Days of Christmas, the kids will unwrap a book and we will read it together as a family.

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them....

I stood in the kitchen this morning, smiling from ear to ear and then almost being brought to tears.  My children found a World Vision catalogue full of gifts that can be given to children and people around the world.  As they read all the things that could be given to those in need around the world, they exclaimed "Oh let's do that!!  No, no, let's do that one because that gives goats AND chickens!"   Then when they came across a gift that was a lot of money, they began to come up with a plan to be able to purchase it in the next two years - scheming about how they could make the necessary money.  (In fact as I write this I can still hear them flipping pages and coming up with more ideas.)

I love how much they want to give!!  I love how much they don't calculate their "money portfolio" when it comes to giving to those in need.  I love that it is a World Vision catalogue that has caught their attention and not something enticing them to buy for themselves.  I love how much they want to and plan to do good in the world.

On the heels of an historic election, perhaps I have a different vote.  Maybe we should let the little children lead us....

In God we Trust

OK, so I'll add my two cents worth to the multitude of stuff that has been said about the political process.  I was home all day today suffering from a sinus infection so I had the privilege of watching politics from every angle and on every show I came across. 

First let me say that this is an amazing election to be a part of!  No matter which political party wins, history will be made and new doors will be opened in American politics (either to African Americans or to women)!  I was astounded by the amount of people getting out to vote, also.  In our area there were some polling places where people stood in line for almost 4 hours!!  I also heard of a couple in India waiting for their absentee ballots and when they did not come, they flew back to the States to vote today!  I love that the public has taken this privilege of voting seriously.  American democracy at work may not always get us what we want, but the process is always amazing to watch!

However, as a follower of Jesus, I have been a little uncomfortable about all the excitement over one candidate or another; one party or another.  It seems to me that sometimes Christians fall into the trap of thinking a certain political party will bring about some sort of salvation and/or we vote for someone who makes some sort of obscure claim to godliness.  And truth be told, as much as I am fascinated by the democratic process, the Reality that I live as a Christian is that I don't get a vote.  My Leader is not a president chosen by popular vote, He is a King (who needs no votes to hold and maintain that position).

I like how Derek Webb puts it:

my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it’s to a king & a kingdom

Of course, I voted and I will pray for our leaders but it is in that King and His Kingdom that I put my trust and  my hope.

Out of Rhythm Confession

Wow!!  The last few weeks have sent me flying out of a rhythm that I know God wants me to live by.  I've been too busy, made too many commitments, had too much conflict, have neglected my time with God and in the word, have eaten poorly, haven't worked out and haven't carved out time to stop and play with my family.  And now I am fighting a cold!  (My body sure knows how to stop me when I'm out of whack!)

All this comes on the heels of creating a calendar that encourages us to live by a different rhythm - a different story.  And I've gotten away from that story and allowed time to consume me, rather than using time to live in God's ways.  Oh how I need to pay attention to God's rhythms or it all falls apart in a chaotic mess!

I can honestly say with the psalmist, "The nearness of God is my good".  So tonight I begin the difficult task of exchanging one way of living for another - choosing to not listen to one rhythm and actively pursuing the other.

That is my confession.