Advent & Christmas Daybook 2022 - 29 meditations to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for Christ's arrival
An invitation to walk day by day into the quiet simplicity of Advent and the festive joy of Christmastide
It's one of my greatest joys to walk alongside you through Advent with suggested resources and daily encouragement in the form of the Advent Daybook series.
In the spirit of Advent’s invitation, I welcome you to walk through the days - one by one - quietly, slowly, and contemplatively. If this all sounds impractically holy, I assure you the best sort of contemplation is what happens when we carry a quiet heart through all the noisy celebration or the sorrowful absences of December.
“As we prepare to enter the Advent season, the Church hunkers down. The [Anglican] Church in America has been known for being really scrupulous about observing Advent; it’s one of the best things about us. We don’t decorate the church during Advent; we don’t sing carols; we don’t move to Christmas until the eve itself. Advent is a time for making a fearless inventory of the darkness. This is a call for character and courage.… At no time is there a greater contrast between what the church teaches and what is going on all around us.”
How we will enter the season of Advent & Christmastide
Each day of Advent and Christmastide (November 28 - January 6) we’ll savor a new meditation that includes a work of art, a song, daily Scripture passages, a short prayer, and a simple action to help you practice the waiting days of Advent and the celebration days of Christmastide. Each meditation will help us look, listen, read, pray, and do meaningful practices of Advent and Christmastide.
Look
We’ll practice praying with the eyes of our heart (Visio Divina) through an image I’ve curated to enhance the Scriptural themes of Advent. You’ll notice that some of the images evoke traditional Christmas scenes while others seem to have nothing to do with the holiday season at all. The images rotate through the classic and contemporary art of all media. Each week I include an image (usually a photograph) from news headlines of the year.
Listen
We’ll soak in the theologically rich and melodically beautiful songs of Advent. Most of the songs I share each day are contemporary versions of old classics or new tunes written for Advent, but each week I try to mix in a choral or traditional arrangement. I try to select quality recordings and include a Spotify, YouTube, and when available, a Bandcamp version for your convenience. Since the music is chosen to enhance the visual art, my family chooses to play the music as a backdrop for contemplating the image. You might choose to do each separately. I also include a link to lyrics for each song so you can sing along if you’d like!
Read
If you don’t do anything else with the posts I send each day, read the Scripture passages. I include a link for the complete lectionary passages each day and then excerpt the portions that particularly spoke to me as I was preparing the post. This year I’ll be using the New Revised Standard Version most often, but if you click through the link to the Biblegateway page, you can adjust the version to your preference.
From December 1-16, Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2). The prophet Amos features prominently in the daily passages this year, and I’ve been trying to get to know him a bit better. The Gospel accounts and the Psalms offer a counterpoint to the weighty prophecies we find tucked into the end of the Old Testament. Read each passage (or the excerpt provided) slowly and listen for the invitation of God to the world, his people, and you.
Starting December 17, I’ll be focusing the reading portion of each post on one of the “O Antiphons” (an ancient liturgy that is the root of the beloved “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” hymn). This is new for me, but I’ve been inspired by Malcolm Guite’s sonnets and a prayer service our church holds during this week. I look forward to sharing the beauty here with you, too.
Pray
Each week the prayers are formed around the Sunday collect (a prayer said by the congregation in Sunday worship). While you could pray directly from the daily Scripture (especially the Psalms) or the hymn lyrics, I include a guided prayer for each day. Once a week, I invite you to a form of intercessory prayer termed “Prayers of the People” in the Book of Common Prayer. This allows us to set aside at least one day to remember each sphere of our world with specific prayer.
Do
The spiritual practice of contemplation, at its best, moves from reflective stillness to thoughtful action. We were made by a Creator to love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves with heart, mind, soul, and strength. I’m delighted to invite you to some simple, daily actions to demonstrate that love outwardly. Some of the activities will feel familiar to the traditional customs of Christmas time, and some will feel new and counterintuitive. It’s all good.
An Advent Community
When I first started this series, I was compelled to create something I’d been looking for and couldn’t find online. While I own and enjoy several printed beautiful devotional books for Advent and Christmas, I was intrigued by the idea of a multi-media, shared experience that can be cultivated online. Since that time, many new and wonderful resources release each year. It’s tempting to dabble in each one, but I encourage you to find what works best for you and to simply, prayerfully walk through each day with intentional companions.
This year there are two ways to keep company with our Advent Community. Choose one or both options based on what fits your preference. Each option includes one free registration for a virtual Advent retreat on December 2.
Advent & Christmastide Daybook daily meditations online
Join my Daybook Meditations membership, Each day you’ll receive one meditation in your email inbox and have exclusive access to the entire season in the Daybook Meditations member area of my website.
Advent & Christmastide Daybook one-time .pdf download
Purchase and download the entire Daybook in one .pdf to follow along at your own pace throughout the season. If your friends or family would like a devotional guide for Advent but becoming a Daybook Meditations member isn't a good fit right now, the Advent & Christmastide pdf download is the next best thing.
Here’s what’s new this year!
There are two new features I’m excited to share with you this year!
The Daybook .pdf download will include one meditation for each of the twelve days of Christmas!
Each Daybook membership or .pdf purchase includes one free registration for my virtual Advent retreat!
When
We’ll gather online on Thursday, December 2 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. We’ll meet 40 minutes for opening prayer, silence, and scripture reading, 40 minutes for individual reflection (offline) with the help of simple prompts included in the Advent Daybook guide, and 40 minutes for group spiritual direction with space for guided response and Q & A. Come when you can and leave when you need!
Where
We’ll meet on Zoom. I’ll send the recording for those unable to join us live.
Who
All Daybook Meditations members and anyone who purchases the Advent & Christmastide Daybook are invited!
How
Join my Daybook Meditations membership or purchase and download the Daybook .pdf to receive the Zoom link and retreat details.
Why
Keep company with me as we keep company with Jesus in prayer and contemplation. At its best, the liturgical church calendar draws us into the rich practices of the church throughout time and around the world. When we spend time together - even quietly - we remember that we are part of something bigger than our own devotional lives. We find reassurance and experience the particular way the Spirit is present when two or three or more gather in the name of Christ. It’s my honor and joy to hold space for you to enter the season of Advent from whatever place you find yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually this year.
Please feel free to email me your questions.
Choose your Daybook option and tell a friend!
If you’re looking forward to the Advent & Christmastide Daybook series, please invite your friends to subscribe too! The Daybook Meditations provide a beautiful experience to be able to share and talk about together. If you’re on Instagram, you and your friends can also follow me there - a_sacramental_life.
1. Advent & Christmastide Daybook daily meditations online
Subscribe to A Sacramental Life Daybook Meditations to receive curated collections of Scripture readings, music, art, prayer, and simple spiritual practices to help you look, listen, pray, and do daily practices of worship, love, and beauty. You'll receive a daily meditation during Advent, Christmastide, Lent, and the Easter Octave and each Sunday for the rest of the year to help you pay attention to God's presence in both the silence, celebration, fasting, and feasting of the liturgical year.
2. Advent & Christmastide Daybook one-time .pdf download
Thank you so much for your continuous support. Every time you mention my spiritual direction offerings, retreats, writing or devotional guides to a friend, or engage on my social media accounts, you're helping to support my work that reaches beyond the scope of this website. I am grateful for your help!
May the peace of our Messiah permeate your hearts, minds, bodies, homes, and neighborhoods in the coming weeks. I’m with you and for you in this beautiful work of worship.
Tamara