Saturday, 1 December 2012

Tis the Season!



It’s been a while since I last blogged. I wouldn’t be surprised if over a year had past. You shouldn’t worry though, my mind is still musing over lots of pretty interesting things; some of which you may get a peak at it in the near future.

Today marks the start of advent. I’m pretty excited about this for a couple of reasons; the advent calendar is waiting to be opened – after all what are the major Christian holidays about if not for enjoying a good bit of chocolate? – and I get to start a new book. Rather than just ignoring what’s going on through the advent season, this year I thought that I would devote a bit of time to thinking about what advent really is. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting my thoughts and feelings on the run up to Christmas with a bit of help from Richard Rohr’s book Preparing for Christmas – Daily Meditations for Advent.

Rohr suggests that ‘Jesus identified his own message with what he called the coming of the ‘reign of God’ or the ‘kingdom of God,’ whereas we had often settled for the sweet coming of a baby...’ For a couple of weeks already the towns have been in full swing; lights are up, songs are being sung. In my case, a housemate has already received numerous death threats from the rest of us for being inappropriately Christmassy. Now that the 1st December has arrived – and it actually feels like Christmas... have you seen how cold it is outside?! – enjoy yourself, be merry, have a few too many, eat some lebkuchen, but take time to reflect what this period means to you personally. For me and many others, we are looking forward to the coming of God to this world. But it is equally alright to look forward to having a good feast in twenty-five days time.

So just a few things to remember now that advent has started:

  • Enjoy your advent calendar!
  • Don’t be afraid to watch ‘The Holiday’ or start singing Christmas songs.
  • Don’t forget what advent means to you – spend time reflecting on what the season is all about.

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