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The Church Year

Let it begin: the Church Year

O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:5 (NKJV)

advent

The holy echo for this season came in an early morning reading. Could Isaiah have imagine how far the echo of Advent would ring?

Advent is for us, not just some. O house of Jacob.

Advent is an invitation. Come.

Advent isn’t about idling or accelerating, the two options most offered by the voices around us. Do nothing, Do too much. No, it is about a steady pace– let us walk. 

Advent is about direction, we aren’t walking for the sake of a nice post meal stroll — let us walk in the light of the Lord.

When I read this yesterday morning my soul whispered, pay attention, this is your posture for advent. We again join the Church universal, invited to walk in the light of the Lord. The light of anticipation and waiting.

O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.

If you’re reading The Circle of Seasons with me/us, I’m planning for December to post each Monday of Advent. If you don’t have the book, don’t worry, the post will be enough to stimulate thought. This isn’t meant to add more to you, it’s meant to help orient or course correct. I’ve found it can be easier to talk about things than to actually implement them. So, if nothing else, Mondays will be a stake in the ground saying, “Show up in your life, don’t just talk about showing up.”

Kimberlee says in her book: “Observing the seasons of the church year also helps us embrace the church’s telling of time instead of our culture’s. Our culture’s calendar is grounded in capitalism, which requires consumption. Back-to-school sales, the-day-after Thanksgiving sales, the Christmas shopping season, after-Christmas sales, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, graduation, Father’s Day, the Fourth of July – there is a sale associated with each and every cultural holiday or occasion to induce us to consume more. This way of measuring time reduces us to mere consumers, instead of inviting us to be fully human, with all the varied emotions, experiences and roles that entails.

“The church year, on the other hand, is grounded in the very story of Christ, which is the foundational story of our lives as Christians.”

This is no longer just capitalist societies challenge. November 11th in China is singles day—11/11—see all theses ones? What started out as a cute idea has turned into one of the HUGEST shopping days. I was saddened to see this in action a few weeks ago. My friend Tanya , who lives in the UK, put on Facebook a reminder to UK stores that Black Friday has nothing to do with them.

You know what. The culture is going to do what the culture is going to do. We however, have a choice how much we listen to it. I sometimes forget this. This is why I need you and you need me.

O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.

 

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4 Comments November 29, 2015

About Amy

My name is Amy and I live in the messy middle of life. I have been Redeemed from permanent muck and live with the tension of the Already and Not Yet.

Comments

  1. Gayl says

    November 29, 2015 at 8:24 am

    Such a good reminder, Amy. Not to rush,not to poke along, but to walk deliberately through these days of Advent and on through the seasons of life. I’m really excited about reading this book!

    Reply
  2. Jody Collins says

    November 29, 2015 at 9:52 am

    So very well put, Amy….I’ll be showing up on Mondays :-)

    Reply
  3. Kel Rohlf says

    December 1, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    I found you through Jody and Glory Writers. I love the liturgical year and Jody introduced me to Kimberlee’s book a few years back…I’ll try to stop by on Mondays or at the Glory Writers group…thanks for the reminder that the posture for the season is walking in the Light of the Lord! walking is a pace that I can sustain :)

    Reply
  4. Nancy Ruegg says

    December 2, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    I, too, was struck by Kimberlee’s comment about the contrast between our culture’s calendar and the church calendar. As Advent unfolds this year, I want to be more aware of ways to be fully human in the celebration. Perhaps that includes being more conscious of what my senses are taking in. For example: the candlelight that reminds me of the Light residing in me; the carols that remind me of Emmanuel, God with me; and the warmth from logs burning in the fireplace that remind me of the warmth of his love. Stepping away from the culture a bit and walking in the Light will surely augment the joy of Advent and our worship of the Savior!

    Reply

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My name is Amy and I live in the messy middle of life. I have been Redeemed from permanent muck and live with the tension of the Already and Not Yet. Read More…

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