Advent Check-In?

Meet and Greet is quiet today, taking an Advent rest. Look for introductions on December 29th!

Speaking of Advent, how is your Advent going? Are you too busy? Or, are you finding some pleasant respite from the hectic pace?

Me, I am in the midst of a little of each....busy preparing for Christmas services and yet, with a massage planned for an hour from now, I am also striving to find some quiet.

One of my favorite resources for Advent reflection is "Night Visions" by Jan Richardson.

I tend to read this book every Advent. I love the daily meditations and art work moving through the days and weeks of Advent. Here is her reflection from day one, week one, called, "Darkness."

"Being here.
Say that you have chosen it.
Say that it was your own hand that
turned out the light, your own mouth that
blew out the candle, your own eyes that
closed themselves against the brightness.
Say it was your doing.

Say you needed the shadows, the darkness,
that your eyes had begun to squint at
the brightness, that the light had begun to
make your head buzz. Say your needed the
rest.

Say you asked for it. Longed for it.
Say you didn't.
Say it wasn't you who chose it, wasn't
you who reached to turn off the light,
wasn't you who snuffed out the flame, who
covered your eyse.

Say the darkness stole up on you, say it
overtook you, say it clamped its hand over
your mouth before you could scream, its
fingers across your eyes before you could
take one last look at the light. Say it jimmied
your door in the middle of the day,
say it climbed through your window in
middle of the night and took sunrise
with it.

Or say it simple called to you from
where it stood in the doorway, looking longingly
at you and winking its great pale eye.

Say you followed it home."

She also has two blogs: the painted prayerbook and the Advent Door.

What Advent resources are you using this year?