label for blog title "Water in the Wilderness"

Advent is Here!

Advent is here, Beloved! Are you looking for a way to ground yourself in spiritual practice this season? Check out Jaz’s videos for all ages on how we can ground ourselves in spiritual practices at different times of day.

As we live into our hybrid world, I wanted to create an Advent video series for all those joining us via livestream from home or in-person in our church sanctuary. Each week I am recording a video that can help us slow down. I know for me, once Thanksgiving starts, December can often feel like a world wind with an extended to-do list. Church, whether in our First Church sanctuary or in our home sanctuaries, is a sacred place where we can try to do the opposite of what is happening around us. A culture of busyness! So much going on. Work. Work. Work. In church, we can settle ourselves in a countercultural space, quieting our minds, hands and feet. Moving at a slower pace.

During Advent, we often think about lightness and darkness as we prepare for Christ – I know I especially do, living in the Northern Hampshire. The days are shorter with the shortest day just a few days before Christmas. This year, our theme is “Already here, not yet there.” I think lightness and darkness can draw our attention to the liminal time and spaces we encounter each day. This is what prompted me to want to focus on a different time of the day each week of Advent. This first week, I would like to draw our attention to morning. Feel free to watch the sunrise in the beginning of my video! Although, I must confess – it is not sunrise yet. It is just before – in this liminal time – between night and morning. As the earth slowly wakes, I wonder how you wake up. How do you start your day? Just before the rush begins. Before the hustle and bustle. Before you run out the door or rush to your computer to join a Zoom meeting. The time between sleep and before your day begins. In those few minutes, what would help you feel centered in the love of God that is already present? What would help you go more gently as we inch closer to the mystery of Christmas?

PLAYLIST OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE VIDEOS FOR ADVENT

Jaz Buchanan
Pastoral Associate