Keeping Advent, day two

One of the most beautiful and thought-provoking blogs I follow during Advent is Jan Richardson's The Advent Door. It is a separate blog that she keeps during the Advent season, apart from her regular blog, The Painted Prayerbook. Both her visual art pieces and her reflections are inviting, spiritually moving, and quietly profound. She is one of my favorite people to read in preparation for writing sermons. Here are some of her thoughts for the first Sunday in Advent:

If we stay awake; if we open our eyes in the midst of our life, with all of its wildness and wonders, then we will see: something is coming. Drawing closer. Stealing home.

How will you stay awake in this season? What do you long for the weeks ahead to look like? How might you find God’s response to those longings in the rhythm of your life, in the midst of your days?

Whatever the pace of your life in this season, may wonders attend you. (Advent 1: Where Advent Begins, 2010)

And here are some moving words for the second Sunday in Advent:

As [John] the Baptist strides into the Advent landscape, he reminds us that there is much that connects this season with the season of Lent, with its images of wilderness and its invitation to let go of what hinders us from God. John’s presence, so early in the Advent lectionary, calls us to see that beneath the twinkle lights and trimmings that permeate these pre-Christmas days, there is a terrain more spare and elemental: a landscape in which we learn to turn away from what distracts us so that we can welcome the one for whom we are waiting. This turning is at the heart of John’s message to his hearers: “Repent,” he calls out, “for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Advent 2: A Road Runs Through It, 2010)

I encourage you to visit her websites, to read her reflections, and to browse her stunning artwork. I hope that you find her to be as meaningful as I do!