Purple is the color most associated with Advent. Some churches have switched to blue in recent years as a symbol of hope, expectation, and the Virgin Mary. But I like purple because it feels unusual, more regal. It symbolizes royalty, repentance, and reflection. Even though the blue hue of Advent is often vivid, I associate blue with ordinary things like uniforms and jeans. Go for blue if you want, but I’m sticking with purple, an extraordinary color. Using purple throughout... Read more
“Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” – G.K. Chesterton Dear Jesus, do I need Advent. I just do. Living in the upper Midwest during the melancholic waning days of fall, begrudging the early arrival of snow flurries and enduring the bone-chill that summer had (mockingly) made me forget, I need Advent. You see, I am predisposed to what Winston Churchill once called “the black dog”. The black dog is an ill-defined woefulness that can gnaw at you at unpredictable... Read more
“O come, O come, Emmanuel” is the Advent song. While Christmas carols have started invading our space — piped over loudspeakers in stores, and even on the streets in some places — “O come, O come, Emmanuel” isn’t a Christmas carol; it’s about the anticipation. It’s about Advent. Here’s the first verse (the one everyone knows) for the first week of Advent: O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son... Read more
When I was a kid, Christmas trees started popping up in the neighbors’ windows a week or two before December 25. Unlike now, when trees go up on Thanksgiving weekend, almost no one put a tree up before mid-December. My first memories of Christmas are of a live tree, tinsel, ribbon candy, and a spinning paper Christmas tree perched on a spike with pictures of ornaments on it. I had never heard the word Advent before I met the Episcopalian... Read more
Blessing the Door First let us say a blessing upon all who have entered here before us. You can see the sign of their passage by the worn place on the doorframe as they walked through, the smooth sill of the threshold where they crossed. Press your ear to the door for a moment before you enter and you will hear their voices murmuring words you cannot quite make out but know are full of welcome. On the other side... Read more
Seasons of the Church
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