These are not ordinary times. We stand on the edge of an abyss. We feel the pull of anxiety, despair, division. Yet there are forces pulling us back from the edge – hope, community, solidarity, peace. The love of God, of neighbor, of all Creation. The love we receive and the love we give inexorably pull us away from the abyss.
These are not ordinary times; Business as Usual will no long suffice. These are times crying out for hope to disrupt the status quo. These are times pleading to hear “fear not”, to live in relationship/community, and to resist the pull of despair.
This is how we enter Advent: the US election will (hopefully) have come to a conclusion, yet its aftereffects will remain. How do we live in a world of uncertainty, how do we work to overcome division, injustice, environmental devastation, despair? How do we help each other move through this season with hope, finding or making peace, still celebrating with joy, and expanding our love?
These questions, and more, are precisely why the Christ came into our world. Well, maybe not the questions about the US election, but all those other questions we struggle with. Our ancient stories bear witness to similar struggles, and similar proclamations of hope and new life. Advent is precisely the time to acknowledge, wrestle with, and proclaim hope in the midst of all these questions.
These are not ordinary times. Why should Advent be ordinary? I propose we rename the traditional themes of Advent as a way to approach the season in a new way; an explanation of this may be found in the opening reading of Week One. These resources, then, are based on that renaming, while at the same time reflecting the more traditional themes. They do not constitute an entire service of worship, but may be used in various places throughout your own service of worship. Some of the pieces are a bit light-hearted – have fun with those!
All the readings, other than scripture, are written by Allyson Sawtell. You have permission to use these materials, and make copies of them. Just acknowledge their source.
The entire document, covering all four weeks of Advent (with an introductory Note to Pastors) is in a PDF file.