A Sonnet for the New Liturgical Year

Advent and the new church calendar year began Sunday, November 30. Here is a sonnet and poem to begin the season.

Prologue: Sounding the Seasons
By Malcolm Guite 
Tangled in time, we go by hints and guesses,
Turning the wheel of each returning year.
But in the midst of failures and successes
We sometimes glimpse the Love that casts out fear.
Sometimes the heart remembers its own reasons
And beats a Sanctus as we sing our story,
Tracing the threads of grace, sounding the seasons
That lead at last through time to timeless glory.
From the first yearning for a Saviour’s birth
To the full joy of knowing sins forgiven
We start our journey here on God’s good earth
To catch an echo of the choirs of heaven.
I send these out, returning what was lent,
Turning to praise each ‘moment’s monument’.

Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year
By Malcolm Guite
(https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/)

“O Antiphons” Begin December 17

Since the eighth century the O Antiphons have been used by many liturgical Christian traditions during vespers the last seven days of Advent (December 17-23). These O Antiphons became the basis for the popular Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

“Their predominant theme is messianic, stressing the hope of the Savior's coming. Jesus is invoked by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah. The sequence progresses historically, from the beginning, before creation, to the very gates of Bethlehem….In their structure, each of the seven antiphons follows the same pattern, resembling a traditional liturgical prayer.  Each O Antiphon begins with an invocation of the expected Messiah, followed by praise of him under one of his particular titles. Each ends with a petition for God's people, relevant to the title by which he is addressed, and the cry for him to ‘Come’.”
(Jeanne Kun, “Praising the Names of Jesus: The Antiphons of Advent”)

You can read the entire description of the “O Antiphons” by Jeanne Kun...HERE.

A couple years ago I posted an “O Antiphons Litany” for Advent on the Prayers and Creeds blog. You can check it out...HERE.

Other Resources:
Extended liturgies for the O Antiphons

The Antiphons of Advent (Readings & meditations for each day)

Contemporary translation on Everyday Liturgy 

Third Sunday of Advent :: JOY!

We Wait

(Inspired by Isaiah 35: 1-10)

This is the season of holy waiting.

We wait for the time when the desert will bloom abundantly.

We watch for the day when all God’s people will come together with singing.

We wait while the dawning light appears on the horizon.

Come let us walk in the light of God!

Taken from: re:Worship blog 

This morning I’ve been reading and reflecting on the third Sunday of Advent, as I prepare to light the pink candle of joy and try posture my heart for the third week of Advent ahead. In case you are wondering why the third candle is pink while the other three are purple, here is a good summary I took from the CRI Voice website.

The third candle, usually for the Third Sunday of Advent, is traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the soon Advent of the Christ.  In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice"). The shift from the purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday Advent candles reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season.

The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, referred to as "Gaudete" or "Rose Rejoicing" Sunday (from the epistle and introit which speak of "rejoicing in the Lord always"). "Rose Rejoicing Sunday" shows how anticipated joy over our Savior's coming breaks through all our serious Advent preparation. 

This year I am taking time out to read the weekly Advent season scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). My "go to" website for weekly Revised Common Lectionary scripture readings is from Vanderbilt Divinity Library. For the Third Sunday of Advent 2013 readings...Click HERE.

I also stumbled on this great resource of prayers, benedictions and liturgies that relate to the weekly RCL readings…
re:Worship Blog (Third Sunday of Advent 2013)...Click HERE.

Finally, some words from Gustavo Gutiérrez regarding this week’s RCL readings from Matthew 11:2-11...

“Gestures of love toward others nourish the hope of the final coming of the Lord, and they make it new and dynamic (James 5:7-8).”

“Relieving the suffering of a few poor in Jesus’ day is a sign, a sign of the strong promise that the good news of God’s kingdom is for all the world’s poor. It is a proclamation through liberating words and deeds. The gospel is proclaimed to the poor by way of concrete actions: enabling people to see, walk, hear, in other words, giving life. In his own days, Jesus gives the example in order for us to understand that it is a commandment for all his followers in the course of history. Today, our gestures of solidarity in the presence of the hunger and poverty of so many in the world have to communicate that God’s kingdom is among us.”

Taken from: Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year by Gustavo Gutiérrez

Advent & Being Present

“Waiting for the Lord does not bring us out of history; it involves us with it since we are hoping for the God who has come and is in our midst. Such hope is ambitious but it is worthwhile. It will help us see what is inconsistent in our behavior, what is deceptive and underhanded in out personal lives but also what is hopeful in our efforts to defend life and justice.”
~ Gustavo Guitiérrez, Sharing the Word through the Liturgical Year  

“…Advent is a threshold season, a liminal place in the calendar, an in between time of preparation and expectation. Thresholds offer a heady mix of possibility and peril. They are wildly unpredictable, they stir up questions, they cause us to live with uncertainty, they compel us to develop the ability to attend to the present even as we discern the future. Ultimately, they are places of initiation, taking us deeper into God and into the person God has created us to be…To follow God does not mean traveling with certainty about where God will lead us. Rather, following God propels us to be present in the place where we are, for this is the very place where God shows up.”
~ Jan L. Richardson (Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas, “Door Seven: A Way in the Wilderness”)

A Summertime Advent Reflection

This Advent I contributed a reflection to Christine Sine’s annual Advent blog series on Godspace. The theme of this year’s series is “Coming Home: Uncovering Our Roots in the Advent Story.” Godspace is one of my favorite blogs, especially during Advent. The Advent series includes daily reflections, prayers, resources and a weekly podcast.

You can check out my reflection and the entire Godspace series here…
http://godspace-msa.com/2013/12/05/a-summertime-advent-by-david-bayne/

A Collection of Advent Prayers

This will be my sixth year posting weekly prayers on Prayers & Creeds. I always enjoy finding new prayers for the season of Advent to share on this blog. Once again, here are links to some of my favorite Advent prayers posted in years past. Just click in the prayer…

A Sonnet for the New Year by Malcolm Guite

Advent Prayer by Ted Loder

Awaiting the Christ Child ~ Esperando el Niño Jesús

Advent Prayer for Hope

Prayer for Welcoming Advent

Advent Collect for Southern Hemisphere

Advent Prayer from Walter Brueggemann

Advent Prayer from Henri Nouwen

Awaiting the Christ from Christine Sine

Hope Revived

Advent Prayer from Advent in Art

O Oriens from Madeleine L’Engle

O Antiphons – An Advent Litany

where advent begins

This Advent I am reading a book of daily reflections from Jan L. Richardson in the book, Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas. I cheated a little and read the reflection for the first day of Advent. Turns out it was exactly what I needed to hear as I posture and prepare myself for the season. Here are a few highlights…

“Perhaps the preparation and expectation to which Advent calls us are not to be found solely in the spaces we set aside during the season. Although it’s important to keep working at finding those contemplative openings in these days, perhaps Advent is what happens in the midst of all this. We enter the heart of the season, the invitation of these weeks, amid the life that is unfolding around us, with it’s wildness and wonder and upheaval and intensity.”

She goes on to say…
“Advent beacons us beyond the certainties that may not serve us – those sureties we have relied on that may have no substance to them after all. Advent is a season to look at what we have fashioned our lives around – beliefs, habits, convictions, prejudices – and to see whether these leave any room for the Christ who is so fond of slipping into our lives in guises we may not readily recognize.

As we cross the threshold into Advent, what are you carrying with you from the seasons past? Is there something you need to let go of so that you have room for Christ as he comes to us in this season? How might God use what is most present in your life – even the chaos and messiness and unpredictability – to fashion a space of welcome, not only for Christ but also for you?”

~ Jan L. Richardson (Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas, “Door One”)

Preparing for Advent :: 2013

The first Sunday of Advent arrives the Sunday after Thanksgiving…Sunday, December 1. Here is my sixth annual blog post of resources and links in preparation for the Advent season. For those of you who have followed my blog in Advents past, there’s not a whole lot new here. But, I will pass on additional resources and links as I discover them. Please share any additional Advent resources or ideas that have been helpful to you in comments to this blog post.

I have often shared my frustration with reflections of the church calendar seasons that only center around a Northern Hemisphere experience and context. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking them. It’s just that there is a void of reflections, prayers and liturgies from a Southern Hemisphere experience. For example, many Advent reflections often parallel the darkness and waiting of winter, while down here in the Southern Hemisphere summer is upon us and we are enjoying more light and new life. If any of my Southern Hemisphere friends would like to share reflections on Advent from a spring and summer perspective, let me know. I’d love to initiate and compile some reflections on this!

Below if the list of Advent resources and books. Just click on the website or book title to check it out…

CRI/Voice - The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope
This is a helpful introduction and summary of Advent.

GodSpace Blog
This Advent Christine Sine will host a blog series, “Coming Home: Uncovering Our Roots in the Advent Story.“ It will include blog posts and reflections from a variety of contributors.

You can also like the Advent Facebook page...HERE.

Ignatian Spirituality Advent Resources
This page includes a variety of resources, including an Advent Retreat booklet based on Ignatian contemplative and prayer practices.

Sacred Space for Advent Online Retreat 2013

Songs for Advent
A couple years ago I discovered this Advent worship digital download. It quickly became a favorite!

Book of Common Prayer Daily Scripture Readings for Advent 
(Year Two - 2013/2014)

Revised Common Lectionary Sunday Scripture Readings for Advent
(Year A - 2013/2014)

Praying Advent
Creighton University’s Online Ministries offers a selection of materials to help people prayerfully enter into Advent, from short prayers to longer reflections and retreats.

Sojourners Top Ten Advent Resources (2012)

Books
The following are a few Advent books I have used in the past or will be using this year.

Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year
By Malcolm Guite
I recently discovered this book of sonnets and poetry for the liturgical year. Looking forward to using it beginning this Advent.

Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas
By Jan L. Richardson
This is a new one for me that I plan to use this Advent. Jan Ricardson has another Advent book called, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas.

Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent 
By Enuma Okoro
This was published last year and focuses on waiting and longing of Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Monastery Journey to Christmas
By Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette
I purchased this book a couple years ago and it quickly became a favorite!

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas
This is a great compilation of readings from both classic and contemporary writers.

Waiting for the Light: An Advent Devotional
Christine Sine & Mustard Seed Associates have put together a book of reflections, liturgies, and prayers posted on Godspace blog in years past.