Sacred Saturday? What’s That?

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“O Come, O Come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to you, O Israel.”

Henry Sloane Coffin

 
Hello Friends,
 
Welcome to Advent! Moving through fall this year, I heard from so many friends that Fall is their favorite season. If I were to have a favorite Church season, this might be the one!
 
I love that Thanksgiving fell early this year giving us more breathing room to prayerfully prepare for Advent, instead of scrunching Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas season into the same weekend, robbing them both of the attention and blessings God has for us in each one.
 
Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is the kick-off of the Church’s calendar year.
 
For me, the church seasons serve as invitations to deepen my relationship with God. Just when I start getting a little numb or my life of faith starts becoming routine, they provide little wake-up calls, to turn my heart to God in a fresh way.
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Four weeks on our calendar when we schedule time to stop and think about, I mean really think about, a love of God so great and his desire for an unhindered relationship with us, so powerful that he sent his son, Jesus, to break down the barrier erected through sin.
 
He longs for us to know him as intimately as Adam and Eve when he walked with them in the garden. And even more so because now we have His Holy Spirit living inside us!
 
Advent envelopes us in the reality of God’s unfathomable love and faithfulness.
 
But with all the shopping, caroling, and feasting it’s so easy to get swept away waking up on December 26th in a yuletide stupor wondering how we missed to true treasure of the season.
 
Each Advent can look different. Along with the things that I want to stay the same; decorating, family time together, and annual Christmas performances, I’ve found that as I seek God in the weeks leading up to Advent, he has a unique way he leads me to observe it each year. 
 
Then on the Saturday before Advent begins, which I call Sacred Saturday, I lean in to discern His plan for me.
 
Last year, I remember distinctly, sitting in the recliner, with my computer on my lap. Watching for his leading, I opened an email from a Christian bookstore with an Advent subject line.
 
Scrolling through the selection of books, one caught my eye that I hadn’t seen before. It was called Oriens, A Pilgrimage through Advent and Christmas. Over the past 5-10 years I’d been intrigued by how God worked powerfully in people’s relationship with him through the practice of walking pilgrimages. I’d never seen these two concepts, Advent and pilgrimage, together! My heart raced. I felt an excitement, a sense of curiosity, and a hunger to learn more.
 
Following the links and reading the description, I knew this was what God had for me; a mini-adventure of growth, exploration, and deepening relationship with him.
 
During the season as I worked through the book, and grew closer to God, I reached out to the author who lived in Wisconsin, just a few hours away. It turns out he leads mini pilgrimages in his state.  I’ll look back to this Advent and smile someday if I find myself walking beside him.
 
This year as I asked God what he had for me, I considered following the path He has had me on for the last six months, studying Native American faith. But as I prayed, I didn’t sense any drawing, excitement, or passion.
 
As I considered different ideas, keeping my eyes, ears, and heart prayerfully open, with our grown children moving back to the area over the last few months, I felt this year would be different than the last few where I was out and about, attending lots of different Advent events across denominational lines. It seemed like this year’s leading would be slower, simpler, and closer to home.
 
A new resource came across my path, It’s called Adoration: Journaling with Emmanuel; based on a practice God has powerfully used in my life before called Immanuel Journaling, as I looked more into this resource, I felt that this was what God was calling me to. This advent I will be drawing closer to God with this resource developing a new practice of faith through scripture-filled journaling.
 
I’m so excited!  
 
I hope each of you can take some time over the next few days, maybe even today, Sacred Saturday, to discover what God’s Advent plan is for you.
 
I can’t wait to hear!
 
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Enjoy this week’s article, Advent in My Neighborhood about the delightful way God led my Advent discovery two years ago, starting on a late November moonlit walk.
 
God’s richest blessings as you begin this glorious season.
 

Rejoicing in Immanuel, God with Us,
Lori