One Day to Go!

One Day to Go!

(and A Way to Keep Advent at the Heart of Your Home)

The puppy sat whining at the fence unable to follow me, as I slipped between the fence wires into the wooded corner of our field. Resigning herself, she sat moping, nose through the fence, waiting. I was on a mission. When the snow had fallen last year I’d spied red holly berries peaking out behind the powdery white and I was returning now, after it melted, to retrieve them.

  

Holly is strange and exotic to me, and Australian who has lived in the Caribbean for almost two decades. Exotic and also prickly! Returning to the house with a spiky bag full of holly (via the creeping ivy which boa-constrictored its way  around some of our Birch trees and my potted eucalyptus trees). I sat down at our kitchen table covering it with branchy green and began to bend, wind and weave a circle out of these handfuls of life I’d gathered, twisting it all together into a living, spiking, fragrant circle.

An Advent wreath was my goal. The age old tradition first forged in the Lutheran church in Germany and since continued by Christians the world over, from many denominations and persuasions.

My circle of green complete, I placed my coloured pillar candles in the centre, one for each week of Advent and one for Christmas day. For me the circle of green reminds us of God’s crown of love (evergreen- always alive and circular-everlasting) that became a crown of thorns (like holly). And each coloured candle speaks of the gifts He brings us in Himself- His gift of Hope (a royal purple candle), peace (a green, life-coloured candle), joy ( a bright yellow candle), love (a red candle) and white… the candle for Christmas day.

Different church traditions have differing colours and meanings for each candle and even for the wreathe itself. Some have each candle represent the themes of the Christmas story – hope, peace, joy and love and some traditions focus on the long story of the Bible (the patriarchs, the prophets, John the Baptist and Mary). The greenery used is different, the candles assembled are different, even the meanings given to each candle varies widely from one church tradition to the next. But the point is the same.

This little circle of greenery with candles arranged around it points us to a story: The story of a coming King. The point isn’t that we all have a uniform experience of Advent, but that we experience His presence with us in this season.

The point is that these traditions speak… and we need that in this season. We need messages all around us reminding us, like two hands gently cupping our face, holding our cheeks and speaking into our distracted existence “look this way…into the story of grace, see this waiting manger formed for this waiting world…remember! There was a time when God touched down on earth in human flesh… see, hear, feel, touch…wake up to the story of His presence with us.”

That is what the traditions around Advent are designed to do… wake us up to the approach of God and open our eyes and hearts to His presence.

So whatever these Christmas symbols mean to you… I invite you to let them retell you the story of grace every day this season, let them form a heartbeat in the centre of your home gently beating out the story of grace into every corner of your existence.

Our little circle of green holding space for light and story to dwell together sits now on our battered old kitchen table. Placing this Advent wreathe on our kitchen table, right there in the heart of our home, right there where we gather to eat and connect together, reminds us as a family three times a day that there’s a heart of love for us in heaven, and a larger, longer story that we are a part of. A story that God Himself authored, inhabited and redeemed with His love.

So I encourage you. Don’t let life whirl by you this December, don’t let the rush push you through your days. Create space in the heart of your home to hold space for this miraculous coming of God, whether through this little tradition or another, place markers around you that daily whisper “He’s coming! Emmanuel-  God has come down to be with us.”

Advent begins in just one day! Its not too late to make space for stillness and story this season. Lets get ready for the beginning of waiting!

How to make an Advent Wreathe

Gather: Gather greenery- anything that is available. Vines are very useful or branches that are long and easy to bend such as willow.

Wind: Use your longest piece of greenery as the base for your circle, weaving it into a circle and then add further pieces of greenery around this. repeat until you have a bushy circular wreathe

Arrange: Arrange five candles, one for each Sunday of Advent and one to be lit on Christmas day. Reflect what each candle represents for you. Choose colours that speak.

Place: Place your Advent wreathe in the heart of your home, the kitchen table, coffee table or another central place. Place the ‘Long Walk to Bethlehem’ journey cards and ‘Waiting Manger’ with it if you have them. (you can find the free printables for these here).

Light: Light one candle on each Sunday of advent.