Advent 2: Stuff stuff stuff…
So here are two things for you to see, absorb, contemplate:
- The Story of Stuff (and so much more! If you haven’t been to the site recently—wow—lots of new additions!) Anyway, its a great website and a wonderful, informative look at how “stuff” is made, produced, sold, used and …. well you will just need to go and see yourself. Check it out (embedded below is just a short preview, go to http://www.storyofstuff.com/ for the full video and more.
- And two: A fantastic blog post from this morning called “The Problem with Going Green” which argues that the only way to go green, is to consume less. BOTH are great resources for thinking about spending (or consuming) less.
Happy Monday in Advent 2.
Advent 2: Welcome to Spend Less Week
Lord, we wait with eager expectation for the coming of Your kingdom
when the humble will be exalted and the hungry fed.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we prepare for Your advent with searching minds and contrite hearts, trusting in Your healing spirit and redemptive love.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we watch with those who wait and weep, longing to see the rule of justice and the reign of peace.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we seek You among the despised and rejected, knowing that there we will find Your light shining in the dark.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we proclaim sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed, trusting in Your tender mercy and passion for justice.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we work with others to proclaim Your truth, challenging the mighty and raising the meek.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
Lord, we wrestle with our hopes and our fears, our struggles and our joys laboring with creation to come to new birth.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- Annabel Shilson-Thomas
Its Advent 2, a full seven days into our journey into the darkness–awaiting the coming light, life.
This week on the blog we hope to give you ideas, reflections and articles about how you might spend less on Christmas presents this year, so that we may be freed up to give more PRESENCE.
What are your favorite homemade gifts? What are you doing to spend less this year? Where are you shopping, and what tips and tricks for saving money are you using this year?
How’s this for a few ideas for spending less? (Ideas from this awesome resource Buy Nothing Christmas, bookmark it! Great site!)
- Make a soothing, herb pillow filled with lavender, rose, etc.
- Collect quotes that make you think of someone.
- Stamp and address postcards for family members.
- For the elderly people in your life, research newspaper and magazine articles from their youth and present in a creative fashion.
- Make a calendar with pictures of family members and/or scenery.
- Wrap gifts in newspaper, maps, scarves or interesting clothing.
- Fill an old trunk or suitcase with fun clothing, hats and gaudy jewelry for your children to play dress-up.
- Make a puppet from a sock.
- Give away a valued possession.
What’s on your list?
Worship FULLY
Amidst the hustle and bustle (oh how I love this new blog post from Rev. Scott Gunn) we are called in this season of Advent to do something completely upside down: S L O W D O W N.
I don’t know about you, but with the pace, the pressure, the lists, I find it awfully hard to actually find ways to worship, fully. So, this week, in order to try and embrace this idea of “worship fully” I have gone on a search for small ways to stop and reflect.
Here is one of my faves. It clocks in at a minute and 12 seconds, and leaves me actually wanting more.
Is it the quality of the image? Is it the embedded memories that it evokes?
The choir, the waving arms at the camera; it all seems so magical.
And a prayer, stumbled into (get the rest from EPPN here):
Almighty and most merciful God, you took on human flesh not in the palace of a king but in the throes of poverty and need: Grant that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart; that, following in the steps of your blessed Son, we may give of ourselves in the service of others until poverty and hunger cease in all the world, and all things are reconciled in the reign of Christ.
God of love, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
And from Sylvia, our facebook fan and friend:
What small but meaningful practice do you like or are willing to share?
World AIDS Day
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has released his 2009 World Aids Day video, in which he speaks with the Revd Patricia Sawo, a church leader and mother from Kenya, about her experiences of living with HIV. The video highlights the plight of expectant mothers who are HIV positive and the support they need to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies.
From the Sojo daily email
Advent 1: The Monday edition
From Sojourners, Verse and Voice.
Today is the first Monday in Advent; today and this week, we remember the Hope of the World, whose coming we will celebrate in a few short weeks. As we come once again into the Christmas season, Lord, still our hearts, quiet our busy minds, and help us to refocus: Jesus, you came into our darkness and brought us light, and we are, and will be, forever grateful. Amen.
And while you are there, check out this awesome fair trade shopping list and links from Julie Clawson.
Thanks for the list Julie! Great stuff.
Advent 1: Worship Fully
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
And from Advent Conspiracy:
[Worship Fully]
It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. This is the holistic approach God had in mind for Christmas. It’s a season where we are called to put down our burdens and lift a song up to our God. It’s a season where love wins, peace reigns, and a king is celebrated with each breath. It’s the party of the year. Entering the story of advent means entering this season with an overwhelming passion to worship Jesus to the fullest.
Each week during Advent we’d like YOU to write a reflection or offer an idea on the theme of the week. This week its Worship Fully. The week will run Sunday morning to Saturday night. We will feature as many or as few as we find or get. Please send us your ideas! In return, we’ll link to your blog or church, and give you crazy thanks and kudos. Email your stuff to Rachel at rmswanny (at) gmail (dot) com.
Next week the theme will be spend less—a great week to send us your gift ideas, recipes, stories about making gifts when you were a child, or ideas that you and/or your church is doing to spend less this year.
Until then… please enjoy this 5 minute mediation.
“The Coming of the Lord is Near”
Looking forward to Advent with YOU
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"
Its fun, looking around on Facebook and the interwebs, seeing how many people are excited about this year making Advent Conspiracy a part of how they will participate in the seasons of Advent and Christmas this year.
We will be keeping an eye out, looking to friends like you for ideas to share. It could be simply an idea for a homemade gift, it could be a recipe that you spend time making with friends and/or neighbors (heard this cool story on MPR All Things Considered yesterday about a guy who makes cookies, and now it has turned into a community event), it could be something as simple as a quote. So keep us in the loop—and lets share in big and small ways—what kind of a difference we can make, together.
A great reminder/quote From Clergy Family Confidential:
In the words of the Grinch, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more.”
And from Eleanor Braun, EGR Diocesan Contact for the Diocese of Virgina:
Church of the Holy Comforter, Vienna VA, will hold its third annual Alternative Giving Fair Dec 5 & 6, sponsored by the Peace & Justice ministry, which focuses on the Millennium Development Goals. The fair has gift items from the Mennonite based, non-profit fair trade marketer Ten Thousand Villages, and also has information about buying gifts through Episcopal Relief and Development, Five Talents International, and the Heifer Project. In just two years this fair became part of the DNA of the church — and now everyone looks forward to it.
We can’t wait to hear about it Eleanor! What about you—what kind of conspiracy do you have up your sleeve friends?
