I wasn’t raised in a religious family and never participated in church traditions growing up. During college, I was drawn to a church with liturgical service. I meditated over the ancient creeds, cited by memory the back and forth cadence between celebrant and the people, and marveled at the changing colors of albs. Following the liturgical calendar helped me relive the narratives of faith; the flow of historical tradition swept me into the current through which the Spirit moves. Far from monotonous, it was one of my most treasured experiences from that time of life.

Now, without the aid of a liturgical community, it is a struggle to observe the church calendar. However, in this season of Advent, I have found some resources which I hope may be useful to you:

• Although we participate in a historical faith, it is our imperative to re-imagine the expression of liturgy in light of our ever changing context. I was excited to find this group, The Work of the People, who are using multimedia to create visual liturgies. They have some special recordings specifically for Advent – check them out.
• This is sort of a beginner’s guide to observing Advent, with basic instructions on how to light the candles and the specific readings that correspond with each week.
• Julie Clawson has “a collection of five different groupings of meditations for the Sundays of Advent” in her ebook, “Celebrating the Light”. If you’ve never read her, you should, her reflections are always profound.
• Also check out this Advent Reader, The Cradle and the Crown, only available in paperback, unfortunately for overseas readers like myself.
• For those with little ones at home, my friend Kim Smith has detailed instructions on how to DIY an Advent calendar so you can get the children to participate in the stories leading up to Christmas. It’s not all about the presents, y’all.
• Did you know the wise men couldn’t have visited baby Jesus? Logistically, by the time they arrived at the location of Jesus, He would’ve been much older. Follow the series and learn more Christmas myth busters here. Be ye no longer ignorant.

If you know of any other good Advent resources, please comment below or let me know – this is what the internet is good for – sharing is caring.

Have a blessed Advent season.

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