Each year, our church has a special Advent Lessons and Carols service. We remind ourselves, in music and words, of how our journey together begins. We light the candles and take turns telling the story.
Telling our story is part of the preparation, part of the anticipation, of Advent. It helps us remember, helps us appreciate and understand how we got here. We each tell what we have read, what we have heard, and the story comes together around us. Each of us shares what we remember, and the story builds itself. The candles get shorter, and their light illumines our story in new ways. We see the story more deeply, more clearly, each time we listen to it.
Each year, as the days grow shorter and the darkness seems about to overcome the light, we take time to tell the story so far. Each year, we begin again.
Hearing the story of our journey, and helping tell it, reminds us of who we are. We remember how we have overcome obstacles, become our deeper selves, and grown together in community so far. We remember why we began this journey, and how far we have already come. We pause, take a breath, and enjoy where we are. We gain strength and reassurance as we continue the journey. Our community is shaped by who we are.
It is easy for us to be distracted, to forget. We get caught up in ourselves, and we feel lost and afraid. Our journey can become lost in chasing after things that do not reflect our truest selves. We have an underlying sense that we are not powerful in the ways we like to think that we are, and we lose sight of the amazing potential which we do have. We need to remind ourselves of our story so far, and of our journey together.
Telling our story reminds us of where we have been so far, and helps us find the way to where we are going.
Who helps you remember and tell your story?
[Image by CHILLI CLUB]
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