A look at our church calendar:
Advent
We
begin the season of Advent
Advent was the last season to be officially added to
the church calendar, in about 600 AD. It was made the first season of
the church year because it begins the story of the events of
Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Advent always includes four Sundays
before Christmas, this year (2007) beginning on
December 2, 2007. Originally, in
the Eastern Church, Advent focused on the Annunciation (when the
angels told Mary that she would bear a son); but in the
West it came to concern the first Coming at the Nativity, the future
Coming at the end of time, and the present coming, through grace, to
the hearts of men. Thus the themes of consciousness of the coming
judgment and of joyful expectation have shaped our observance of
Advent for centuries.
Advent is a time of spiritual preparation, but is
not as penitential a season as Lent. It is a time for calm and
thoughtfulness before the hustle and bustle of preparation for
Christmas.
Advent
factoids
-
The
advent candles have been given several meanings. The candle for
Advent is most often called “Anticipation
and Hope.”
-
Decorating with greens traditionally begins in
Advent: “the
hanging of the greens.”
-
In Australia, where lighting candles doesn’t seem
right in midsummer, the Southern Cross has been used as an Advent
wreath: four of its stars are lit in Advent and the 5th on Christmas
Eve.
-
Because Advent is an opportunity to reconnect with what is deep and
holy, many churches find the liturgical element of silence to be
especially appropriate during this season.
This is important for many reasons, the primary one being that of spiritual outreach to parishoners and the community. It will also serve as a means to facilitate information exchange within the church, to announce items of general interest to our church and community, as well as the Episcopal Church community at-large.
