First Sunday of Advent

 Advent 1

Guest Writer Karen Dubert

“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,

and put on the armour of light,

now in the time of this mortal life

in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility.”—Book of Common Prayer, Collect p. 211.

Advent One

Give us grace to cast away

the things designed to lead astray,

the things that of necessity

distract our hearts most easily,

grace to loosen and release

what makes us yearn to live at ease:

the thoughts which thoughtless hearts beset

and lead down paths of word-regret.

To cast away the works of dark

that damage soul and dim the spark

of Image faint we should reflect;

instead we manage to connect

and cling to comfort, rights and will:

ragged blankets to cover self,

words and phrases all designed

to justify “what’s mine is mine”.

I read these words on Advent One

and passed them blithely over.

What works of darkness have I done?

this prayer is for the other.

But later in the afternoon

a different light shone through them.

grace to cast away gives room

and space to welcome heaven.

Karen Dubert

Joanna Seibert.   joannaseibert.com. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing for Advent: Well -Know Readings from Literature

 Arthur: Literature for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany

“Many of us, when charting the timeline of our lives, can point to a moment when a story or poem happened.” —Sarah Arthur, in Light Upon Light (Paraclete Press 2014) p. 9.

Light upon Light is a literary guide of daily and weekly readings and prayers by well-known authors for the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, compiled by Sarah Arthur. She has also written similar companion guides for the long Pentecost season (At the Still Point), Lent, and Easter (Between Midnight and Dawn). Arthur emphasizes that this is not only a guide to prayer during a time of year when our lives become too busy, but also a literary guide to prayer. We remember and recall poems, scripture, and fiction that moved us in our daily lives. Arthur believes literature can make a difference daily when we need it most.

The readings begin with the first Sunday in Advent and end the week of Ash Wednesday.

Arthur hopes to open our imagination as she exposes us to brief excerpts or short works of writers well known to us, as well as some authors we may not know but should! Arthur warns that we should encounter an alert in the readings of this anthology: “Warning: Powerful Spiritual Moment Ahead!” Finally, Arthur suggests that we digest each lesson not as something for our English Literature class or even for pleasure, but as liturgical pieces for worship and prayer.

Each week begins with an outline for the week of an opening prayer, scripture readings, readings from literature, a place of personal prayer and reflection, and a closing prayer to use for that week. Arthur suggests applying the ancient principles of lectio divina or divine reading that we have used in reading scripture now when reading poetry and fiction. We read the passage, meditate on it, and pay attention to a word or phrase that connects us to a place resting in God’s presence. My experience has been to carry that word or phrase during that day or perhaps the whole week. Since this process is no longer used for scripture, she has christened it holy reading or lectio sacra.

I invite you to join this journey with Sarah Arthur during the extraordinary seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, with a unique spiritual practice of daily worship and prayer using well-known literature.

Joanna Seibert  https://www.joannaseibert.com/

 

 

 

Preparing for Advent

Preparing for Advent: God With Us

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us.”—John 1:14.

 I have used many meaningful books to prepare for Christmas during the Advent season each year. I keep returning to God With Us, Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas, first published in 2007 by Paraclete Press and edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe. There are scripture readings, essays by six well-known religious authors, and prayers, but I most connect with the paintings with each lesson. Some days, I only find time to look at the illustrations and say the prayer, but they both seem to stay with me. Eugene Peterson explains it in the introduction. “Over and over again, they (artists) rescue us from a life in which the wonder has leaked out.”  

On other days, I read everything, including remarkable essays about the meaning of the feast day of that week. I especially enjoy the readings during the twelve days of Christmas, when the pace has slowed, and there is more time to digest what this smorgasbord feast of word and art presents us. The book is now in paperback without the pictures, so treasure it if you can find the hardback.