Thankful for Advent 2011

My place card from last year's Christmas Feast :)

We had my annual Thankful for Advent party last night and I have to say, though the turnout was way smaller this year this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite traditions!!

There is something really special about getting together with other women who want their kids and families to have a spectacular advent and Christmas scene not because of commercialism or nostalgia but because of Jesus Christ! It's amazing.
In fact, I like it so much I think I am going to organize a similar event each year based on planning for the Lent and Easter seasons. It's a perfect mix of singing, holiday foods and drinks, cheer, prayer, Bible study and open discussion about creating or continuing traditions and their impacts. 

This year in particular, I've been struck by how many stores had Christmas trees up before Halloween and how many of my friends and family are so disgusted by the whole thing that they just write off Christmas. But that's why we need the Church, who provides a compass to help us make our way through the crazy and the materialistic nonsense and moves us into meaningful use of our calendar to mark sacred time that leads to sacred things. Christmas is not something we can skip. It's the celebration of our Savior, come to earth--- God with us! Advent is the perfect way to prepare for Christmas, take a breather, without feeling ANY let down that Christmas can bring from being too focused on people, places, things, or events. The Church year is a soul-journey. Taking the journey together is the POINT of Christianity. As we learned last night, that's real Christmas magic.

I know many of you who live near me had to miss the party last night and I hope that providing the discussion outline will help you to meditate on ways you can find your way along the path towards Christ this year. If you are a person who believes that Jesus is the Messiah but does not celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to read along anyways, perhaps you will find a meaningful idea or practice you can incorporate here regardless, and at the very least, it may help you to understand that those of us walking around excited about Christmas aren't G-dless Heathens. ;)

Thankful for Advent Party 2011

CALL TO ATTENTION….O Come O Come Emmanuel 

Oh come, Oh come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!

Oh come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Thy people with Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!

Oh come, Thou rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'ver the grave

Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!
Rejoice, Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, Oh Israel!


OPENING PRAYER
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the sameHoly Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen. 

BIBLE STUDY
We are going to start with a brief bible study.

i. Advent is about Christmas, and Christmas is about the birth and incarnation of Jesus. What makes us know that Jesus is the promised Messiah? If we could answer that question, we can help millions of beautiful, well meaning people all across the world find what they are looking for, and see peace on earth, so that when we say: Peace on earth and goodwill towards men, we not only mean it but can do our part to accomplish it!

ii. It seems funny to start before Jesus, but really the story of Jesus begins before Creation. Salvation history shows us a series of covenants, each building upon the other. (To understand this clearly, I recommend a book by Scott and Kimberly Hahn called "From Genesis to Jesus," which walks us through the scriptures to demonstrate clearly what God's plan of salvation is.) These covenants are: Creation, Noah and the renewed creation, Abraham the Father of the Faith, Moses and the Israelites, the Covenant with David, and Jesus, the fulfillment of all promises. 

iii. We don’t have time to cover all of it, or even come close. But we do have time to focus on two very important pieces of the puzzle that will enrich your Advent thoughts. Tonight we will focus on the prophecies of Isaiah regarding the Messiah, helping us to know that Jesus really IS the promised messiah.

THE PROPHECIES of Isaiah

THE FULFILLMENT in Jesus of Nazareth:

Will be born of a virgin (Is 7:14)

Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary (Mt 1:23; Lk 1:26-31)

He will come from the lineage of King David (Is 11:1-2, 10; 16:5)

Jesus was a descendant of King David and was the fulfillment of the covenant promise made to David (Mt 1:1; Lk 3:31-32; Ac 2:29-36)

Will have a Galilean ministry (Is 9:1, 2)

His ministry began in Galilee of the Gentiles (Mt 4:12-16; Mk 1:1-15; Lk 4:14-15; Jn 2:1)

Will be an heir to the throne of David (Is 9:7; 11:1, 10)

Jesus was given the throne of His father David (Lk 1:32-33)

Will have His way prepared (Is 40:3-5)

Jesus was announced by John the Baptist (Mt 3:1-3; Mk 1:1-3; Lk3:2-5; Jn 1:19-28)

Will be spat on and struck (Is 50:6)

He was spat on and beaten (Mt 26:67; Mk 10:34; Lk 22:63-65)

Will be exalted (Is 52:13)

He was highly exalted by God and the New Covenant people (Ph 2:9, 10)

Will be disfigured by suffering (Is 52:14; 53:2)

Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers who gave Him a crown of thorns (Mt 27:27-31; Mk 15:15-19; Jn 19:1-3)

Will make a blood atonement (Is 53:5)

Shed His blood to atone for our sins (Mt 26:28; Rm 3:25; Heb 9:11-12, 18-22; 1Pt 1:2)

Will be widely rejected (Is 53:1, 3)

Jesus was not accepted by many (Jn 12:37, 38)

Will bear our sins and sorrows (Is 53:4, 5)

He died because of our sins (Rm 4:25; 1Pt 2:24, 25)

Will be our substitute (Is 53:6, 8)

Jesus died in our place (Rm 5:6, 8; 2 Co 5:21)

Will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment for sin(Is 53:7, 8)

Jesus took on our sins upon Himself (Jn 1:29; Rm 6:10; 2 Co 5:21)

Gentiles will seek Him (Is 11:10)

Gentiles came to speak to Jesus (Mt 8:5-13; 15:21-28; Mk 7:25-30; 21)

Will be silent before His accusers(Is 53:7)

He was silent before Herod and his court (Lk 23:9)

Will save us who believe in Him (Is 53:12)

Jesus provided salvation for all who believe (Jn 3:16; Ac 16:31)

Will die with sinners (Is 53:12)

Jesus was numbered with the sinners (Mk 15:27, 28; Lk 22:37)

God’s Anointed will heal the spiritually wounded and brokenhearted and to comfort those who mourn (Is 61:1, 2)

Jesus was God’s Anointed who healed the spiritually wounded and brokenhearted and the comfort those who mourn (Mt 3:16; 5:5; Lk 4:18-19)

God’s Spirit will rest on Him (Is 11:2)

The Spirit of God descended on Jesus (Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22; 4:1)

Will be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Is 53:9)

Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea (Mt 27:57-60; Jn 19:38-42)

He will judge the earth with righteousness (Is 11:4, 5)

Jesus was given authority to judge (Jn 5:27; Lk 19:22; 2 Tm 4:1, 8)

TRADITIONS
So now that we know why we are celebrating the advent of our messiah, we need to know a few things about the season of advent. 

1. Advent is a season of PENANCE and PURIFICATION. Like a "little Lent," Advent carries us not through a season of rejoicing necessarily (that's what Christmas is for) but a season of focus on our sinfulness and our NEED for a Savior. The liturgical color of Advent, like Lent, is purple, which represents sorrow for our sins. We should make the time for practices like fasting (Orthodox Christians to this day fast from all products containing lard, butter, cream, etc.) examination of conscience (doing a daily check-in with God to see how we may have sinned and what we should do about it) and also regular confession. During Advent, we wait in hushed expectation for the coming of the Lord and examine our hearts... and this is especially important in light of the fact that we know Jesus is coming AGAIN and that there will be judgement at that time. When I asked the question: "Are you prepared to FACE the Lord? When he came at Christmas, He came as a little baby, bringing a promise of judgement and justice. This time, He comes in all His glory!! Are we ready for that?" We ALL have to hang our heads in shame. None of us is really ready for that. Advent is the time to get ready. Attack your sins with a vengeance!

2. Acts of Service. While penance and charity are two sides of the same coin, we often ignore one or the other. Advent is a good time to ensure that we are doing both. Ideally, during Advent it is a wonderful idea to take extra steps to reach out to those whom we have wronged or who we have difficulties with because they have wronged us. But it is also a great time to reach out to those who are alone and suffering alone. Some families make it a point to write letters on the four Sundays of Advent to people in their family they have wronged or who they struggle with... letters of forgiveness and compassion and kindness. Some people visit hospitals, visit shut ins or retirement communities, even elderly priests, and bring homemade breads or cookies, sing, or even prepare a nativity play or some other activity. Advent caroling is a wonderful activity that my family enjoys very much.... we simply walk from house to house in our neighborhood, singing hymns of Advent. I've seen people cry, hug us, etc. It's amazing what an impact this can have on a community. Families may enjoy taking Advent to make Christmas Cards they will send off for Christmas. Kids in particular enjoy this task. One tradition that is commonly shared is that of "Kris Kringles" (Christ Child.) We know it as Secret Santa, but returning to it's roots shows us the point of this tradition is not materialism and the accumulation of junk but of love. Family members or friends can draw names out of a hat and then spend Advent secretly doing acts of kindness and service for the person whose name they drew. Also popular is the idea of "Advent Angels." Similarly, names are drawn, and then we agree to pray for the person every day of Advent. At the end, you can even throw a party where you share who your person was and what happened. :) One of the most popular advent traditions regarding acts of service is that of simply baking cookies and breads and bringing them to neighbors. What a joy it has been for us to receive a beautiful plate of gingerbread cookies from neighbors we don't know well, giving us an opportunity to talk. Another idea I love is that of putting a bowl of straw somewhere central in the house. next to it, an empty "crib" made of wood or popsicle sticks. Whenever a child in the home does an act of service or kindess, a piece of straw is transferred to the Crib, making a soft bed for Jesus by the time He arrives. What a powerful image for the children to retain!

3. Prayer. Advent is a time to pray like we've never prayed before. If we are truly preparing for the coming of Christ, we should pray, because prayer is our pipeline to God. Many Catholics who do not pray the Liturgy of the Hours (our way of praying the psalms without ceasing) will do so now, and you can pray along with us using this website if you don't have the book by going to the site and then clicking on the appropriate time of prayer (morning, daytime, evening, or night): http://divineoffice.org/

The Advent Wreath in particular is a powerful tradition that incorporates prayer and song (He who sings prays twice, right?) and which children in particular absolutely LOVE. For many people who are concerned about the possible pagan origins of a tradition, the advent wreath may be particularly meaningful because it stems from the Sabbath lights lit by the Jews in obedience to God and in anticipation of the Messiah. During Advent, like on Shabbat, we light the night, bless, pray and sing! And advent wreath can look any way you like: four candles in a row, a ring of candles, etc. It can be decorated or not. It can consist of four taper candles, pillar candles, etc. Traditionally, the advent wreath has three purple candles, one pink, and one large white candle in the center. The first two sundays we light only the first, and then the second purple candles, the third a pink (the third sunday is called Gaudete Sunday -- the rejoicing Sunday) and then purple again. On Christmas Day we can finally light the Christ Candle in the center. My family lights the candles (I do that, just like I light the Sabbath lights) and we hold hands (or not) and sing O Come O Come Emmanuel followed by the blessing of the bread and wine and food. They remain lit during the meal and are put out afterwards. My kids, even the tinyest ones, have the song memorized by the end of advent and will generally make me nuts by singing it from morning til night in anticipation of the great Candle Lighting Moment. I highly recommend it. 

For more information about Advent Wreaths, please see this link: http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent2.html

You can also create a prayer book for your children. Kids loving cutting things out and pasting them, so find some meaningful scriptures and prayers you read regularly, cut and paste pictures you find online that speak to you, and bind the whole thing with ribbon. Kids will LOVE reading these before bed, and it's a great way to build prayer into your normal reading and play time together.

The Jesse Tree is another tradition that many families find meaningful. Either a real tree or a large poster or wall hanging of a tree is used to hang ornaments, one a day for all of advent, representing different facets of Salvation history leading up to Christ. This brings the Old Testament to life for people and is also a fun activity you can do with children-- although many people purchase their own Jesse Tree ornaments, most families read the scripture for the day and then make their own ornaments, which is great. There are MANY websites which describe different ways of doing the Jesse Tree. One such website I recommend is here: 

http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent9.html

(note, the author of that site feels very strongly that the Star of David is not an appropriate symbol for Christians to use and not a biblical symbol to represent Judaism and King David. You may disagree with her opinion and want to just ignore the bottom section, the rest of it you will not find offensive.)

Advent Calendars are similar ways to draw the family to prayer. 24 little doors are opened behind which are scriptures to read that lead us towards Christ's arrival. You can read more about advent calendars here: 

http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent12.html

Lastly, nativity scenes (the Crèche, where I come from) are also ways to pray in the season. Families will unite to gather items in the natural environment (moss, grass, sand, etc) and creative elements (tin foil, wrapping paper, etc) to create a "scene" of the nativity. (many include figures representing various family members or villagers.)

As the figurines are placed, it is useful to pray for the virtues represented by each "character" present: for example, you may want to place one figurine each day, and as you place: 

- The Angel, pray for the grace to be a messenger of joy with  your positive and encouraging words that day.

-Saint Joseph, pray for the grace to be ready and willing to listen to God and do His will.

-The Blessed mother, pray to be more aware of Jesus' presence as you go about the day's duties.

-The Shepherd, pray to do your duty faithfully and lovingly.

-The Ox, pray to cheerfully accept each task assigned to you.

-The lamb, pray to follow the shepherd wherever he may lead.

-The Donkey, pray to lighten the burdens of others by carrying along family and friends.... etc.

The O Antiphons begin December 17. At that time, we find ourselves faced with beautiful depictions of Christ's person which we can work into our prayer any number of ways, from declaring them over our dinners before we eat to using them in the liturgy of the hours, advent wreaths, or even the Jesse Tree.  You can read more about them here: http://www.fisheaters.com/customsadvent10.html

4. Gift Giving and Feasting. Though Advent has a penitential character, the Church year contains feasts which are best taken advantage of for the character building potential they contain if nothing else. We celebrate the saints because we believe that there are no dead in Christ, therefore we honor those who have gone before as if they were still with us-- because they are. Just as we have certain friends here on earth who help us more than others and who have guided us, by their prayers and example, we have certain friends in heaven who lead us towards Christ by guiding us through their prayers and example. Some of the feast days which can be used to celebrate a particular event that leads to Christmas are: 

December 4, Saint Barbara's feast day. St Barbara was a virgin and martyr killed by her own father for serving her heavenly Father. On her feast day, people in the south of France plant little containers of wheat which will grow all of advent. On Christmas, they will be ready to place in the nativity scene, and red ribbon will be wrapped around them for decoration. Since she was a martyr, on St Barbara's day we decorate with red.

December 6 is the feast of St Nicholas, which most people today know as Santa Claus. For our kids, December 6 includes a surprise "visit" from St Nick who brings oranges and chocolate coins in their shoes, placed there the night before. For some people, this is the time the stockings are filled. This is also a great day to make a meal for a needy family or something similar.

The Feast of St Lucy is December 13, and a family favorite around here. For more information on traditions and ideas, see my best read blog, here: http://marymission.blogspot.com/2010/12/saints-on-saturdays-lights-lussekatter.html

The feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe are also popular days of celebration and appropriate SMALL gift-giving moments. Lastly, there is also Hannukah, which you can read about here: http://www.joi.org/celebrate/hanuk/index.shtml Catholics can read about Hannukah in our bibles (the story is NOT found in protestant Bibles!) and that alone might make it a good reason to celebrate. :)

If gift giving seems to be too much for just ONE day, do consider spreading it out and doing it in very small doses through many of these exciting and wonderful feast days and even during the Christmas Season itself, which contains many opportunities and feasts. More on that next blog :)

The general rule for Advent decorating is UNDERSTATED. All the ornaments come out for Christmas, so during advent we have a few physical reminders (the wreath, the jesse tree) that Christmas is NEAR but that we aren't ready yet. 

Instead, focus your traditions on prayer and song, giving and fasting.

I hope this has been helpful! May God bless you this advent season, sisters, as you prepare your hearts and help your families to recieve Him in the fullness of His glory!