Friday Five: Adventually

Although it comes as late as it can this year, Advent is upon us. Some of us grew up observing it, while to others (including this childhood Baptist) it was even more foreign than Lent! Over the past twenty years, I have grown to love Advent as a season of preparation, although as a pastor I find it harder to practice it at home than at church, even when the church might prefer I make it the other way 'round.

Here are five questions about Advent for this first of December:
1) Do you observe Advent in your church?
2) How about at home?
3) Do you have a favorite Advent text or hymn?
4) Why is one of the candles in the Advent wreath pink? (You may tell the truth, but I'll like your answer better if it's funny.)
5) What's the funniest/kitschiest Advent calendar you've ever seen?

1. Yes, we do observe Advent in our church. (Mental note: as I write this, the women's group is setting up for tomorrow's Christmas Luncheon. The Children's "Christmas Program" is Sunday, December 17th.) No, we don't observe Advent in our church - but we're not opposed to the idea. Actually, we do observe Advent, but most of us don't know what to make of it, to be perfectly honest. Surrounded as we are by American holiday consumerism and enforced seasonal goodwill, it's tough to keep our focus on the coming of the Christ Child. But we do the best we can.

2. Yes, we do observe Advent at home. This year Beloved and I will put our Advent wreath on the table and read devotions from Luther Seminary's devotional book The Peaceful Kingdom. It's something Beloved suggested we start last year after I threw an Advent hissy fit and refused to decorate the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Yes, I did marry an exceptionally kind and understanding woman; still wondering just how that happened.

3. My favorite Advent text is Isaiah 40.1-11: "Comfort, O comfort my people..." I love the tenor aria from Messiah composed on this text, and also the hymn "Comfort, Comfort Now My People." During seminary I had the privilege of singing in a church choir that sang Paul Manz' beautiful arrangement of this hymn - and then Dr. Manz himself directed us the day of the worship service where we sang. That was quite the experience: I have a CD of the worship service and I still listen to it on Advent Sundays while I read the paper.

4. Confession time: I have NO IDEA why one candle may be pink. In my home church the Advent Wreath candles were blue, all four, with one white one in the middle for Christmas Eve & the Christmas season. I'll look forward to reading your answers (and hope fervently that my liturgy professor from seminary isn't reading my blog).

5. I can't think of a kitschy or tacky Advent Calendar (okay, yes I can, but there are SO MANY to choose!), but I can tell you the one that means the most to me. My mother had an Advent Calendar that went up every year the first day of December. It was made of felt and had ornaments with velcro patches: one ornament went up every day until Christmas Day. The star, of course, was the Christmas Day ornament, and every year one of us three boys would place the star at the top of the tree sometime Christmas morning, usually around 4:00am when we were furiously starting to dig into presents. So, consider this a SCHMALTZY Advent Calendar and let the sappy holiday memories begin!