letters and lattes

We have reached December and I am feeling more burnt out than most years. That might not be true. Surely every year I collapse at the end and feel this exhausted? But, also, maybe not. This year feels more so. As a teacher, the end of the year is A LOT. As a parent, the end of the year is A LOT. I don’t want to suggest an extreme whinge here or ‘one-up’ you, dear reader, with my exhaustion. But if I were feeling hyperbolic, I might say the end of the year feels like a dumpster-fire and I am somewhere lost within it. 

Yet, Christmas is coming. 

The joy and hope and promise of Christmas is on the horizon. 

The trouble is, there is a mountain between here and there. And we, typically, love to focus on the mountain. Worse than that, we love to add to it.

The mountain is the pile of work that needs to be completed (don’t make a tally, it’s too depressing).

The mountain is the Christmas shopping and that one present you forgot to get. Although it’s probably more than one.

And cards – 

So many cards and gifts

And another thank you

Another event for every child

And every year level

And you too

And did you forget you’re hosting Christmas, but where will you put everyone and there is so much cleaning and are we going to see Santa and what about the elves?

See? We made a frigging mountain. 

And before we know it, we are hidden in a room on December 23 wrapping presents and we have completely forgotten why. 

Isn’t Christmas more than this? Where is the joy? The hope? The thing is, we need to give it room.

We have to, every now and again, pause on our ascent (or descent) of the mountain and cast our eye once more to the horizon. This is Advent.

Advent is more than waiting. It is more than the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, where we sit in tradition of the past and light a candle. It is an invitation. It is a reminder of the faithfulness of God; “the good news of Advent is not that we are faithful in our waiting (we often aren’t) but that God is faithful in his coming.”¹ This annual reminder (hopefully not the only one you experience) of God’s faithfulness is a gift we easily overlook.

We are often completely consumed by the demands of our days, the troubles surrounding us and the weight we are carrying that we are numb to our shortsighted view of time, the scale of our lives that has, somehow, become so narrowed. For me, Christmas is a reminder of God’s fullness, faithfulness and invites us into the “long view”² of our lives. There is a beautiful song, Same God³ by Elevation Worship which reminds us that God’s ability to answer prayers, heal and provide has not changed, God is the same God. It sings “I’m standing on your faithfulness.” The season of Advent invites us into this reminder, to cast our mind back, to hold onto hope and bring it into today.

“It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.”

—POPE BENEDICT XVI

If we don’t intervene, if we allow it, time will continue to slip and we will find ourselves once more on Boxing Day wondering how we let it pass us by. This year, I have decided to intentionally carve out space for Advent. For pausing, reflecting, for casting my eyes to the horizon and taking them off the mountain, even for just a moment. A blog I posted earlier this year reflected on sharing what we know well, including resources we have come across. I would like to share two Advent guides I’ll be using this year. Both are free downloads, available from the websites linked below. 

1. The Season of Advent: A 25-day journey through the story of Advent by Hannah Brencher.⁴

In her introduction to The Season of Advent Hannah Brencher reflects, “this season will happen so quickly. We will blink and miss it if we are not intentional with our daily moments.”⁵ She extends the invitation to be intentional, informed and lean into the story of Christmas. If you are looking for a daily Advent guide which delves into scripture, drawing out helpful reflections, humble prayers and historical contexts, I would encourage you to check out her resource.

2. Bless the Advent we actually have: A daily devotional for the Christmas season by Kate Bowler.⁶

The “actually” here is crucial. For many this year Christmas is heavier than usual, emptier than usual, holding more unknowns than before. Kate Bowler writes beautifully in this space, giving language and hope to hearts filled with heaviness. Her devotional is filled with links to other great resources, blessings and a study guide if you would like to do it with others. Additionally there is a great playlist you can access, as she notes, “Advent music can embrace the hard things about life here in the not-yet, before Christ comes to restore all things—a reality we’re probably all too familiar with.”⁷

So yes, put up the tree and enjoy the decorations. Continue your traditions, baking gingerbread and forming candy covered houses, visiting lights and finding wonder in the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. But why not, also, lean into the waiting. Preparing your spirit in Advent and allowing yourself to find the awe in the miracle that is God’s fulfilled promises to us, once more. Allow yourself to hold out for hope. 

Go well 

Steph

¹ Rich Villodas (via Instagram: @richvillodas) 

² I am not directly quoting her here, but the best quote on the “long view” is this:

“Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.” – Christmas broadcast, 2002 – Queen Elizabeth II

³ Same God (2022) by Elevation Worship – I encourage you to listen to it if you are not familiar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawxIZE9ePE

⁴ The Season of Advent: A 25-day journey through the story of Advent by Hannah Brencher is available through her website: https://www.hannahbrenchercreative.com/about

⁵ Hannah Brencher, The Season of Advent: A 25-day journey through the story of Advent. (2023) pg.7

⁶ Bless the Advent we actually have: A daily devotional for the Christmas season by Kate Bowler is available through her website: https://katebowler.com/

⁷ Kate Bowler, Bless the Advent we actually have: A daily devotional for the Christmas season (2023) Pg. 3