Resources for Advent
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The season of Advent is a season of joyful waiting and watching for the arrival of God to humanity. This happened once before when Jesus was born, and we look forward to the joys of Christmas. Jesus also promised to come again in power and glory, and so Advent is a time for us to reflect on our readiness to meet him on that day.
Advent is a season that you can celebrate at home as well as in church! Whether you have an Advent wreath on your dining room table or you have an Advent calendar on your wall, it's a wonderful way to bring religious observance into your home. Who knows? You might even get into the habit of praying at home throughout the year! Here are some resources to help your Advent anticipation. |
Two videos explain Advent in a few minutes
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#AdventWord - An Online Advent from the Society of St. John the Evangelist
SSJE is the oldest religious community for men in the Anglican Communion. The US motherhouse is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The brothers will be sharing the deep insights of monastic spirituality with all of you during Advent. Sign up for #AdventWord now at http://www.ssje.org/adventword. Order your own home Advent Wreath or Advent Calendars
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The O Antiphons The last week of Advent includes a few short prayers called the O Antiphons. They are the basis of the carol "O come, O come, Emmanuel". Learn about them here.
Daily reading reflections from the Episcopal Church Office of Lifelong Formation Participate in daily discussions and reflections, centered around themes of Advent, happening on all sorts of social media. http://episcolifelong.org/2014/11/18/advent-resources/ Forward Movement and SSJE: The brothers have teamed up with Forward Movement to produce 12 mini meditation cards, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Each cardincludes a stunning image on one side, and on the other a brief meditation on faith, peace, gratitude and nine more seasonal themes, written by SSJE brothers. Give these cards to family, friends, parishioners and anyone wishing to create a spiritual practice beyond Christmas Day. You also can include them with your holiday cards or hand them out at the end of your Christmas service. More information and bulk pricing is online at http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2220/12-days-of-christmas.aspx. Forward Movement: A new booklet of meditations explores Advent and Christmas through the lens of St. Nicholas and scripture in From the Holly Jolly to the Holy: Reclaiming the Sacred during Advent and Christmas. The meditations are written by the Rev. Jim Rosenthal, president of the UK/USA St. Nicholas Society. Father Rosenthal, who dons the robes of St. Nicholas in celebrations around the world, invites readers to experience the seasons through St. Nicholas the holy, not Santa Claus the jolly. Order online athttp://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2145/from-the-holly-jolly-to-the-holy.aspx. Episcopal Relief and Development: ERD has sent out its annual “Gifts for Life” catalog, which gives people the chance to make a meaningful gift of livestock or other items to people in need around the world. ERD also has produced an Advent toolkit to help parishes and other groups plan, construct and host an Advent campaign to support giving through “Gifts for Life.” The toolkit is online at http://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-groups/advent-toolkit CREDO: The group that provides wellness materials for Episcopal clergy is offering a special email subscription for anyone interested in meditations during the Advent and Christmas seasons. The meditations are from noted author the Rev. Barbara Crafton. Text and audio meditations will arrive by email from the First Sunday in Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany. The series also features Crafton reading her Sunday reflections on video. The short readings and the hymn on each of the six Sundays create an easy-to-lead study series for use at individual churches. More information is online at http://episcopalcredo.org/publications/credo-reflection-series/advent-2013/ |