(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

Hurrah, it's Advent. Possibly my favourite liturgical season (though I always feel a bit guilty about that, because it probably ought to be Easter). But I do love Advent: the mind-blowing statement that God comes into the world as one of us, as a helpless child; that the creator of the universe became part of it; that for all the brokeness of the world, it is his and he will not abandon it.

Actually, Easter follows from all that. So I will stop feeling guilty.

Of course, I also like Advent for the carols and the mulled wine and the biscuits and the cards, but I think that's OK if you're honest about it!

College carol service tomorrow, followed by my first Christmas dinner of the week. Hopefully no-one will set fire to themselves... I will also be making a series of 'Advent calendar' posts starting tomorrow - mostly poetry, but with some music as well.

Comments

[estelyn-strider.livejournal.com]

Advent calendar posts - what a lovely idea! Would you have any objections to my copying it? I'm not sure if I can stick to daily posts for almost a whole month, but it is certainly worth considering.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Heh, first Christmas dinner of the week? How many do you get in total?

I know we're getting dinner after the Advent service, but I'm not sure if it's a proper Christmas dinner. ;) I must admit, I'm in it for the carols, but I do understand why it's such a powerful holiday, conceptually speaking.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Advent is my favorite season, also; mostly for the reason you cite, but also perhaps because I grew up in the evangelical Protestant tradition (and am still there), and from a pretty young age felt that we did not put enough emphasis on the Incarnation, which does, after all, precede and lead to our salvation.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven....

[lilliburlero.livejournal.com]

I'm a winterbaby and I love the drawing in of the evenings. I think if I were a Christian Advent would be my favourite too. As it is I take my guilty pleasure in liking the Victorian pseudo-medieval kitsch of holly-ivy-mistletoe-wassail.

[tree_and_leaf]

Oh, go to it- the more the merrier! :)

[tree_and_leaf]

Two, or possibly three. But for the first week of Advent, that's quite a lot...

The carols are, indisputably, good. :)

By the way - when do you head back to the States? Would be nice to meet up again, if you have time.

[tree_and_leaf]

The emphasis on the Incarnation is probably the main reason that I have found myself getting a lot higher than I was brought up. I do think that if you downplay God becoming man, then the whole thing falls apart.

[tree_and_leaf]

I must admit I have a certain fondness for Victorian pseudo-mediaeval kitsch myself (as evidenced by the packet of Burne-Jones stained glass Christmas cards I've just bought....

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

I'll join the bandwagon in saying Advent is my favorite (liturgical) season. Like lilliburlero, partly because of the weather; partly for various other reasons; but I think chiefly because it mirrors our normal experience: we are waiting for the world to be transformed by God, and for this season we can wait joyfully, knowing that we must oly stand still, and we shall see the glory of God.

Hm, this might be a post in itself. But anyway, yay Advent!

[tree_and_leaf]

*nods* I thought of that aspect, too. "The Silver Chair" is my favourite Narnia story, for what I think are connected reasons.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

That is very impressive -- I have dinner after the service tonight, and a Christmas party in my faculty on Tuesday, which is always fun, provided I don't drink too much like I did my first year... I'm not actually sure what's happening for the Thursday carol service -- presumably they have to feed us something, but we'll be singing from the gallery during Christmas dinner proper, so I'm not altogether sure what's happening there.

I fly back on the 10th -- it would be very nice to meet up before then. Things are fairly crazy during the week, and I'm seeing Hamlet on Saturday (squee!), but next Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday look pretty much empty on my end.

[tree_and_leaf]

Monday or Tuesday night would be great for me. You can tell me about Hamlet! *is jealous*