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ADVENT DINNERS It’s Advent. It’s Sunday night. For me, that means an Advent dinner. A few gather at my house for a simple meal made special only by moving it to a different room. The living room coffee table is fun if there are four of us, the dining room for a larger group. At the center of the table is the Advent wreath. It is around this simple symbol of the growing light of the coming Christ child that our Advent dinners are centered. Here are my most treasured and meaningful memories with family and close friends.
On the first Sunday, the first candle is lit – the candle of “Hope.” As we eat, we each share some thoughts, feelings or reflections about hope. I usually offer an open-ended question to get us going, though everyone is welcome to wander with it. The question might be, “Who has brought you God’s hope recently?” or “What is God hoping for you, at this point in your life?” So much to eat, so much to consider, so much to share! Children sometimes say, “I have to think about that” and then jump in later saying, “Is it okay if I have two things to share?” Yes, of course! The meal is warm and rich no matter what food is put on the table. On the second Sunday night both the first and second candles are lit and our reflections center on the candle of Peace. “Where do you find God’s peace?” or “When did you feel God’s peace in this past year?” And so it goes each week as we make a space within ourselves for the Christ child to be born. With the third candle we might share … “How did God’s love come to you in the last year?” With the fourth candle … “Where could you bring God’s joy into the world right now?” The questions vary from year to year and in accordance with the ages of children who are with us. I find that it doesn’t really matter what we ask; somehow the Spirit always flows. At the end of the meal, the candles are blown out and as they are re-lit the next Sunday, a growing spiral of light emerges through the weeks. This simple and beautiful Advent tradition creates intimacy with one another, with our own souls and with God. The tenderness that has been shared around the table over the 20 years of this tradition is more than dear to me. We laugh, we have tears of joy and heartache, we listen more attentively and we come to know each other on a level that is otherwise hidden. And as we stretch to put words to our feelings and experiences, we also grow a spiritual vocabulary that is otherwise dormant or missing. During this dizzying season of Christmas hustle and bustle, may you find Advent times – times set apart, times of deeper knowing, times of gentle preparation for the Christ child to be born within you. Advent blessings, Susan Murtha
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