At Advent, the calendar of the church year starts over: returning to the beginning of the story and remembering Christ’s birth and the stories leading up to it. It’s a season of preparation and candlelight, a season of hope and longing for the world to be transformed. If Epiphany is a birthday party, I like to say that Advent is something like a baby shower (although, full disclosure, I’ve only ever been to one baby shower–and it was over zoom–so I might not know much about baby showers).
In this season, we are once again partnering with A Sanctified Art for one of their worship series. You might remember that in Advent 2020, we used their series “Those Who Dream” and then in Advent 2021, we used their series “Close to Home.” This year’s Advent series is called “From Generation to Generation...”. Here is how the Sanctified Art team describes the theme they decided on for 2022, as they read and reflected on this year’s readings:
…a line from Mary’s song of protest and praise gave us pause:
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
(Luke 1: 48b-50)Despite the challenges and vulnerability she faced, Mary could glimpse the scale and scope of the good news she was part of bringing forth. This good news transcends time and space—it was and is bigger than just her. Christ is coming for collective liberation: God’s redemption is at work for years to come. Therefore, the promise is meant to be lived out and passed on from generation to generation.
We are invited to look at the characters in our scriptures and wonder: What did each character pass on or contribute? How did each character participate in God’s liberation and love? Which characters try to thwart God’s justice and what can we learn from them? What is our role now? What is our generation’s task? What will we carry forth, and what should we leave behind?
The root word of “generation” is “gen” meaning “origin” or “birth.” Our theme is also a call to action: what are we being called to generate or bring forth? What have your ancestors and those who have come before you passed on for you to continue? Who are the spiritual elders in your community who planted the seeds for the things that are now blooming? What seeds are you planting for the future?
From Generation to Generation… reminds us of the ways our lives, histories, actions, and stories are interconnected and woven together. In the midst of narratives, policies, and rhetoric designed to divide us, what does it look like to practice belonging to one another? The work of God is always unfolding—in and through us. This Advent season, how will we carry it forth?”
In addition to our Sunday services, I will be bringing back our Wednesday evening prayer services for the season, featuring art and poetry and lots of seasonal music to sing along with at home.
If you are having trouble finding hope, peace, joy, or love this holiday season, I encourage you to join us for our Longest Night service, Wednesday, December 21 at 7pm. Instead of a boisterous Christmas service, it’s a quieter and more pared-down celebration that light and change and hope are on their way, even at the solstice, the longest night of the year. If you are carrying any grief or regret or loneliness or disappointment, it can be hard to find a place to lay those feelings down when we are surrounded by glitter and eggnog and caroling. This year’s service will be held in person and will not be live-streamed, although if you are unable to join us, I will be reposting the videos of our Longest Night services from 2020 and 2021.
This particular season, both December 25 (Christmas Day) and January 1 (New Year’s Day) happen to fall on Sundays. While I’m still working on the particulars, I’m sketching out plans for an interactive Christmas morning service in Fellowship Hall with music, an art project, and ample caffeine. For New Year’s Day, I was thinking that we would have a simple service of lessons and carols in the sanctuary.