‘The Christian practice of time is one of the most powerful means of ancient spirituality, and it is currently being rediscovered by the church.’ These words were written by Robert Webber who, perhaps more than anyone else, had been inviting the church to rediscover many of the riches of her spiritual traditions. One particular treasure that he highlighted was the observance of the Church Calendar where Christians observe seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

We have created some daily reflections to help us more fully and deeply engage with the season of Advent. For those for whom ‘Advent’ is something new and unfamilar, we hope you will discover something of the beauty, mystery, richness, and challenge of the season as you join us on this journey. The word ‘advent’ itself comes from the latin word ‘adventus’, which means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ and is used to describe the period of the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Jesus the Messiah at Christmas.

Week 1: Advent Hope

The first week we are calling ‘Advent Hope’ and it focuses on the Old Testament expectation and longing for God to rescue and deliver his people by raising up an anointed one, a Messiah.

Daily Reflections

There will be daily reflections from Monday to Friday. Each day there will be a Scripture to read. There will also be a quote, poem, prayer or song to help you engage with God during this time.

As you prepare for how you might meet with God, you’ll want to have a bible nearby and you might also want to have a notebook to write down anything that arises from your time each day.

We will put up the daily reflections at 6am each day on our blog, starting on Monday 23rd November. We have also created a booklet which you can download below.

Some Helpful Links

To make this a communal journey as well as an individual one, we will also be hosting spaces over Zoom Monday to Friday from 9-9:20pm to engage together on the day’s reflection. It would be wonderful if you wanted to join us – just click here.

We’ve also created a YouTube playlist where you can find the songs referred to in the daily posts and other short teachings and reflections.

Feel free to leave a comment below with any thoughts, prayers or things God might have been speaking to you about.