Advent

The Christmas season for me is a tangle of memories. When I was a child, my mom worked for the local Methodist church, and we attended services there for a while (we never were particularly regular church-goers). Advent was my favorite part of the year because as a family we would gather together on Sunday evenings (the one night during the week that we were all guaranteed to be home) to light the candles, read some scriptures, and sing songs from tattered old songbooks. My mom, who had been a florist and loved to make flower arrangements, made an Advent wreath, and I always loved seeing her set it out every year. I'm sure my mom would remember me being a little brat about presents, but when I think back to childhood Christmases, I don't remember the toys as much as I remember Sunday evening Advent time.

Over the years we stopped observing Advent. We began attending churches that don't follow the liturgical calendar. And while I would think fondly about Advent season when I read about it, I never thought about making it a family tradition in my own home. My husband is a Mormon, and I'm not sure I "fit" any particular denomination (though I find myself increasingly drawn back to my Methodist roots). This year, though I don't have a wreath or the colored candles, I've decided to introduce my husband to this beautiful lead-up to the Christmas season.

I did some research online and found the UMC's Advent materials with scripture references and short meditations. I was also happy to find Advent material from a 1989 issue of one of the LDS magazines, which should provide Dave some familiar ground. Since he grew up in the LDS church, he doesn't have much experience with other denominations. So I've used Advent to explain the liturgical calendar, the use of call-and-response, and set songs like the Doxology that are used every service at specific times. Sharing this information helps him understand where I'm coming from, and it helps me remember all of the things that I love about Methodist services.

Again, I don't have the candles or the wreath. I do have a plethora of tealights and a squat mason jar. And some votive holders somewhere. At the prescribed time in the reading, I lit the tealight in the mason jar and there we have the Hope candle! Suddenly, we have a new Christmas tradition in our home.

I'm grateful for all of the experiences that have led me to this point in my spiritual journey, and continue to inspire me. I'm also grateful for the patience of my Father in Heaven as I continue to wander and return.