A gift for you as we turn the corner into the Feast of Christmas!
(Pass it on! If you haven't joined us yet, become a Daybook patron by Christmas Eve to get your link to a secret playlist to help us celebrate ALL 12 DAYS of Christmas! I'm working on a few more surprises to help us keep Christmastide well.)
“Come in!” exclaimed the Ghost. “Come in! and know me better, man!” Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and, though the Spirit’s eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them. “I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,” said the Spirit. “Look upon me!”
— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Dear friends,
What a joy these past three weeks have been contemplating together the mystery and hope of the advent of Emmanuel.
Every year I battle a sense of futility - that this quiet space is meaningless amid our sometimes frenetic need to get to the cozy, chaotic celebration part of Christmas. Every year the Holy Spirit meets me again in the ancient, sober texts of the prophets and the fierce hope of the people of God. I want to be a woman of fierce hope and to embrace every spark and glimmer of light that comes down from the Father in word, practice, prayer, and beauty. I want to consume this light until it radiates from the inside out to help push back the darkness in this weary world.
Every year God meets me through you. I ponder your stories of meeting again the once and coming King and receive them as gifts just as plain as the ones beginning to accumulate under our Christmas tree. That even one other person knows the God of Christ more nearly and dearly this year because of this holy compulsion of mine to sift through each Scripture and song and prayer is the greatest gift. Thank you for walking the Advent road along with me.
We are turning a corner, friends. I often daydream that before I publish the final Advent post I'll hear a trumpet and see Christ descending from the sky, returning to once and for all make all things new. If this does not happen before Christmas Day, we are given the responsibility to celebrate as if He did.
This is no postscript to Advent; this is the Main Event! It's time to pull out the stops, and take on the holy calling of Feasting!
Will you join me?
In the past few years, I've written a couple of posts about how our family has learned, failed, and learned again how to keep Christmas well.
12 Ways to Savor the 12 Days of Christmas
Family Liturgies For Christmas & My Mama's Rule For Feasting
Christmas Confessions From An Exhausted Dad {Brian's guest post}
Daybook patrons will receive a post each day of Christmas. The layout of the posts will look familiar; you could call them Advent Daybook lite.
Watch: I find myself ready for a bit less contemplation and a bit more lovely entertainment during feast days so in place of art and song, you’ll find a little video clip or short film (approx. 5 minutes or less) in each post. You could pretend each post is a little digital Christmas gift from me to you.
Read & Pray: I’ll include with a bit less fanfare the Scripture reading and prayer for those wanting to stay connected to the daily office lectionary.
Do: At the close of each post, I’ll include a simple activity to celebrate each of the 12 Days of Christmas.
NEW! A fun Christmas gift from me to you to say farewell to 2020!
“And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
"While we feast we savor!"
— Nancy G. Hill (my infinintely festive mom)
I'm working on a few more surprises to help us keep Christmastide well.
For these last days of Advent, may we know with assurance that He has come, He is coming, and He will come again! Hallelujah!
Tamara
p.s. I would love to hear about your own Advent journey! How has it been for you? Please feel free to drop me a comment below!