Moving Through Advent

The anticipation of Christ's birth during Advent is always a blessing and trial in its waiting.  (Yes, the blessing comes in the trial of waiting!) Here is a poem to help us look forward to the birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas. It did give pause and a moment of breath and space to believe...

CALM and Bright

​C A L M as  
Near-got slumber
C A L M as
Longed-for solitude
C A L M as  
Your own steady breathing
From dark rows of empty pews


B R I G H T like
Candle's glow at midnight
B R I G H T like
Summer's longest day
B R I G H T like  
Hope that will not falter
When your heart can't see a way
 
 
C A L M  &  B R I G H T 
And ever shining
C A L M  &  B R I G H T
And never done  
C A L M  &  B R I G H T
The slow revealing
Of the Father's perfect Son  

​-Leigh McLeroy

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I wanted to give you some Advent book recommendations that are blessing me with thoughtful reflection. So, here is my trinity of Advent blessings. These recommendations are beautiful in their ability to take you deeply into Christ and his heart as well as the human experience. The first one I would like to recommend is Malcolm Guite's Waiting on the Word: A poem for Advent, Christmas, and Ephinany. I am revisiting this book this year after listening to him on Sally Clarkson's podcast earlier this month where he made some brilliant statements about how imagination is above reason. 

This one explores a wide range of poets including some contemporary poets like Luci Shaw and Scott Cairns.  The poem is first, and then his theological and spiritual insights into the poem are expounded. This book is not for those who are interested in Hallmark comments on Christmas. He goes deeply into all kinds of Advent paradoxes. At the end of each chapter, I feel like I have worshiped, nudged a little closer to our God in heaven, and come away refreshed.  This man is Chaplain at Girtin College at Cambridge and lectures on poetry and you need to read him (I will be ordering his book of poetry for Easter  as well)!
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I was a little late to start this but I'm loving this one as its new and amazingly thoughtful in helping me understand more than just Advent. In The Art of Advent, I am learning how to look at a piece of art, how to see spirituality in great artistic works, and that is leading to reflection on my own life choices. This woman lectures in Systematic Theology at Saint Mellitus College has written a number of books that explore theology for the lay person as well as those interested in academic perspective.

I have wanted to check on this one for years. but it didn't happen until now.  This is the story of Christ's birth told through Jotham, a ten year old boy searching for his family in Israel at the time of Christ's birth. He encounters robbers, thieves, kidnappers, as well as shepherds, wisemen, innkeepers. This book brings some real insight into culture at the time of Christ that is easily understood by young readers, but even I have been able to gain insight into a completely different time and place that really is rarity in a narrative like this. 

I also like the scripture references and comments/reflections that come at the end of each day's reading.

All of this has inspired me to focus a little more on reading next year. I am picking 12 books to read through 2019, one for each month. A few are books that I feel I need to revisit along with some new ones that I just didn't quite get to this year. Do any of you want to join in making 2019 a reading year? It really is a beautiful idea...

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.  -Revelation 1:3