Welcoming Advent into Our Homes

Part of my family is already observing Advent. And it’s not the clergy parents who are up to their eyeballs in Advent sermons, bulletins, and formation resources.

My teenage children participate in the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration’s youth group, just a couple of miles from our house. They typically gather on Wednesday evenings, but every few months there are Sunday morning commitments, which means that every few months our family of four is spread across three different congregations. Sunday, November 16th was one of those days. Our sixteen-year-old, wearing a tunic and cincture, sounded a shofar and recited verses from the prophet Jeremiah as part of Transfiguration’s Advent Festival.

Transfiguration is among the growing number of churches returning to a forty day observsance of Advent. The Rev. Dr. Casey Shobe, the rector of Transfiguration, wrote in a letter to the congregation, “Once again this year we are stretching our observance of Advent beyond the traditional four weeks to nearly 40 days. We choose to do this because the themes of the season – waiting, hoping, persevering, turning – deserve more time and attention. In truth I feel like the world is always in Advent: heaven has already come down to earth at the Incarnation, but our weak and weary world is still waiting for the full inbreaking of the glory of God.”

While I’m not ready to hang stockings or put up the tree, I am definitely ready for Advent. I’m ready for the apocalyptic readings that encourage us to embrace the present and the daily devotions we pray as a family. I’m ready for the music and the candles. I’m ready to slow down.

Listening to our child practice his prophetic speech nudged me to think ahead to how we will (hopefully) engage Advent at home.

Advent Word

Advent Word is always a hit for at least one member of our household. Each day of Advent has a word selected from the Sunday Lectionary readings to serve as a prompt for prayer or reflection. Some years we snap photos that remind us of the word. Other years it’s the prompt for a prayer at dinner. This year I want to pair Advent Word with a template from Sybil MacBeth’s Praying in Color website. Simply placing a cup of colored pencils on our kitchen table along with Praying in Color sheets will spark creativity and prayer, and conversation, too.

Journey to Bethlehem

Our family has an ever-growing collection of nativity crèches. When our kids were little, we displayed the entire scene all through Advent. As they’ve grown older, we’ve enjoyed placing the figures around the room so they travel toward the stable with each passing week. And while our journey to Bethlehem isn’t as exciting as the Holy Family Roadtrip , it has become a meaningful and visual way of anticipating the birth of Christ. Each day of Advent (or once a week) we move Mary and Joseph a little closer to the manger until they arrive on Christmas Eve. Some years we move our shepherds and sheep as well. All of our Baby Jesuses remain tucked away in a drawer until Christmas morning when they are added to the mangers. On December 26th, we begin moving the Magi closer each day, so they arrive with gifts in hand on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. If you don’t have a nativity set or the own you own is a little too precious for toddler hands, here is a printable version to color, cut, and wrap around toilet paper tubes.

Reverse Advent Calendar

Each year my congregation participates in a Reverse Advent Calendar to support our local food pantry. This year, this Advent practice feels especially important. Households take home a cardboard box wrapped in festive paper then add an item from the pantry’s wish list each day of Advent. Some years I do the shopping, then add the pantry items to our household pantry. Our kids choose a non-perishable item at random and drop it in the box. Other years, we take the wishlist to the store where the kids do all of the shopping. Filled boxes are brought to worship on Christmas Eve for our volunteers to deliver to the pantry in the new year.

The Advent Wreath

Lighting our Advent Wreath at family meals is my most cherished tradition. The prayers we use change with each passing year. Sometimes we sing. Sometimes we read scripture. This year we will use this set of prayers written by the Rev. Michael Sturdy, a former youth minister at Transfiguration. If you have a favorite liturgies or prayers for the Advent Wreath, I hope you’ll share them below.

I wish December wasn’t as hectic as it always is. It’s increasingly difficult to slow down as our kids get older. So we are instead paring down where we can—gradually reducing our commitments outside the home and our expectations within it. We are returning to the faith at home practices that we know will fulfill and form us.

Come, Jesus. Come.