by Lilly Lewin
The Season of Advent is all about waiting and preparing for the arrival of Jesus. Honestly, we really don’t like waiting, we want everything right now, right? But what about waiting for Jesus? Is that different?
How do you feel about waiting? When you hear that awful word, “wait,” what comes to mind? How does God view waiting? How long are you willing to wait for a friend or a coworker? Or even someone you don’t like? Are you a fast food follower or a slow cooker/crock pot Christian? Do you expect God to answer now, or are you willing to wait?
These are just some of the questions you and your community are invited to consider in the prayer stations of the Advent Waiting Sacred Space.
This Sacred Space will help your community connect with God using all their senses. The Advent Waiting Sacred Space Prayer Experience is a downloadable kit that comes with all the signage to print out for each station, a Leader’s Guide with supply lists and how to’s and photos of each station as a guide for creating your own! The Kit includes 14 Prayer Stations in all!
The Advent Waiting Sacred Space prayer experience is flexible and can be used in different ways based on your community’s needs. It can be set up for a weekend at your church, used on a retreat, or set up for an entire week hosted by you in the evenings, so your community can experience it and bring friends who might never come on a Sunday morning. Or rather than using all the prayer stations at one time, you can do one or two stations each week to go along with your teaching/sermon during Advent. You choose the format that works best for you.
Help your community step away from the craziness of Christmas, and slow down to prepare their hearts for Jesus! Download the Advent Waiting Sacred Space Kit from Freerange Worship or the Christmas Sacred Space called The Christmas Incarnation that features 8 prayer stations about the birth of Jesus. Take time to engage God with all your senses this season.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
With fall in full bloom here in Seattle and winter approaching, this time of the year continues to remind me to slow down and begin to rest. For some of you in the southern hemisphere, summer is budding and even with a busier schedule, maybe that means you need to find the places to rest.
With a new season, we wanted to offer Christine’s book, Rest in the Moment to you again. The twelve meditations in this beautiful full color book are designed to provide moments of refreshment throughout the day or week. The blending together of prayers, reflections, questions and photos invite us to pause, reset and refresh ourselves. Rest is such an important part of the rhythm of our lives, not just a weekly rest of Sabbath, but pauses of rest throughout the day to reset our focus and renew our connections to God. We all need times when we pause for refreshment and renewal. Just as the night calls us to rest after a busy day and the winter calls us to rest after busy seasons of planting growth and harvest, so too does God beckon us to rest after hours of busy work.
Order yours today as you enter into a new rhythm and season and our prayer is that it will be a tool to help you reflect for Godly pauses in your new season of life.
By Talitha Fraser —
In these troubled times it can seem that there is more that separates us than connects us, a fear of the future that invites apathy and hopelessness, pain and a burden of worry that some days can seem more than we can bear. I am grateful for these, our pain is a signal that something is wrong. How do we breathe through that like a woman in labour bringing forth new life? The pain has already been borne. The life has already been given, and risen. The vinegar is wine, poured out for you. Drink from this cup, poured out abundantly for you and be refreshed.
Breathe. Exhale.
Sip and sigh. Sing and cry.
You can’t change the world, only yourself.
Talitha. Talitha.
Talitha.
I tell you arise
That is what this life is for.
That is the cup that pours.
How the song goes and that cup overflows.
You want the world to be different?
It is, because you are here.
You breathe, and be and bear.
I’ll take your tears and fears and trade you Grace.
See my Face? It’s also yours.
That is the cup that pours.
Breathe and be and bear.
Come near, come here.
This is the cup that pours. This cup is yours.
[I suggest re-reading this to yourself using your own name where mine is now]
By Lynne Baab —
My older son turns 40 in a few weeks, and I’ve battled insomnia since I was pregnant with him. Thankfully, “battled” is no longer the correct word. In the past decade or so, I have peacefully acknowledged that I will have periods of sleeplessness some nights. I use those times for prayer and reflection.
I’ve created four imaginary worlds where I often spend time during the night hours when I’m awake. In three of the worlds, I have designed places where I engage in thankfulness. I want to tell you about these mental pictures that I have dreamed up because one of them may help you notice the things you’re thankful for and express those thanks to God.
One of my worlds has a large thankfulness garden full of identical sculptures of various sizes. The sculptures are shaped like waffle ice cream cones which sit upright on their small end. The sides of the cones are covered with swirling designs that are three dimensional enough that little ornaments can be hung on the swirls.
Each time I visit that garden with Jesus by my side, I erect a new sculpture. The size depends on how many things I want to be thankful for at that time. Sometimes my prayers focus on things I’m thankful for from that day or the last few days. Each item I’m thankful for becomes an ornament that I hang on the sculpture for that day or time period. Sometimes the sculpture focuses on an aspect of my life, such as things I’m thankful for in relationships or things I’m grateful for about my home.
All of the large and small sculptures from past moments of thankfulness stay there. I can’t remember exactly what’s on all the ornaments, or even what the topic of each thankfulness sculpture was, but when I imagine walking in the garden among dozens of thankfulness sculptures, the sheer number of them reminds me of how good God has been to me.
Another of my worlds has a tree painted on a interior wall of a house. Again, the tree is tree dimensional enough that I can hang thankfulness ornaments on it. Across from the tree, in my imaginary room, is a sofa where I sit beside Jesus looking at the tree and generating ornaments for it. On the tree, the ornaments are not in topics like the sculptures in my other imaginary world. I just hang all sorts of random things I’m thankful for on that tree.

Illustration by Dave Baab
My third imaginary thankfulness place involves a sculpture of hands sitting on a deck overlooking a valley with Mount Rainier on the other side. The sculpture is about my height, showing a left and right forearm touching on their inner sides, with the hands spread back, uplifted toward the sky. You can see what it looks like in the illustration for this post. When I visit that deck, I think of things I’m grateful for and I lay them in the hands of the sculpture. Because the hands are raised toward heaven, I have the sense of bringing those moments of thankfulness into God’s presence.
The conscious practice of thankfulness has changed my life. Twenty-five years ago my husband and I decided to begin every prayer time with thankfulness. At that time, he and I were praying prayers of desperation two or three times a week. Our kids were demanding teenagers, he was unhappy at work, and I was uncertain what to do professionally. We decided our prayer times were so negative that we needed a change.
Thankfulness prayers with my husband taught me to notice good things in the middle of challenges. As I bring those good things into God’s presence, my relationship with God is strengthened. My three thankfulness places in my imaginary worlds grew out of the blessing that thankfulness prayers have proven to be. Taking time to notice God’s free and generous gifts switches our perspective from absence to fullness. When we bring those words or images of thankfulness to God, we affirm our dependence on God and our delight in God’s goodness. Our relationship with God is nurtured.
It’s time to get ready for Advent and Christmas. It may seem a little early to some but with Celtic Advent beginning November 15th, it really is time to figure out what we want to do during the season. Last year I added this list of Advent image books to our resource lists. This year I wanted to add a new collection to our list of resources – Advent devotionals.
There is an overwhelming array of devotionals out there but I have several go to gems that I love to return to each year. This year (not surprisingly) I am supplementing them with our Godspace Advent/Christmas devotional cards. As well as that I asked my Facebook friends what they would suggest and they came back with a number of delightful sounding books that I have added to the list. Just remember – I have not read most of these devotionals and they are contributed by people with a very diverse theological background – which is part of what I love about my Facebook friends. They really are a very diverse community.
Amy Robinson: Image of the Invisible.
A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication: Advent and Christmas with Thomas Merton
Bud Holland: Advent Presence: Kissed by the Past, Beckoned by the Future
Crossan and Borg: The First Christmas
David Cole: Celtic Advent
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: God is in the Manger
Enuma Okoro: Silence and other Surprising Invitations of Advent,
Heidi Haverkamp: Advent in Narnia!
Gayle Boss: All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings
Henri Nouwen: Advent and Christmas Wisdom
Jan Richardson: Sacred Journeys
Jean McLachlan Hess: Journey to the Manger with St. Patrick and Friends.
Jim Bishop: The Day Christ was Born
Lucy Rycroft: Redeeming Advent (partly but not exclusively for busy mothers)
Madeleine L’Engle and Luci Shaw: Wintersong.
Michael McKay and Claire Brown: Keep Watch with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers
Paula Gooder.: The Meaning is in the Waiting,
Richard Rohr: Preparing for Christmas
Trystan Owain Hughes: Real God in the real world
Walter Brueggemann: Celebrating Abundance
Wendy Wright: The Vigil
Godspace Resources:
- Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas bundle
- Lean Towards the Light Advent Retreat Online
- Advent Prayer Cards – 1 set
- Advent Prayer Cards – 3 sets
- Advent Prayer cards digital download
- Advent in a Jar – free downloadable activity
- Color Your Way Through Advent and Christmas – A free downloadable coloring book for the season
- A Contemplative Service for Advent
- Advent Activities for Families and Kids
- Resources for Blue Christmas
- Getting Ready for Advent/Christmas Worship Resources
- Advent Candle Light Liturgy
- Liturgy for the First Sunday of Advent
- Celtic Liturgies for Advent by John Birch
- An Advent Prayer by Walter Brueggemann
- Make Room – An Advent Prayer
- Helping Kids Give Back This Advent/Christmas
- Music from a Rich Array of Traditions
- What On Earth Are the O Antiphons
- Celebrate with Simplicity this Christmas
- Choosing a Scripture Reading Plan for the Coming Year
- Advent meditation videos by Christine Sine
- Lean Towards the Light – Another Advent Video by Christine Sine
More Free and/Or Downloadable:
Toward Christmas – An Advent Reflection (free & downloadable from Anglican Overseas Aid Australia)
Brenda Griffin Warren Celts to the Crèche (Celtic 40 days of Advent free online Devotional)
More Resources
If this list does not provide what you are looking for check out the 30 suggestions that Paul Neeley has on his website.
NOTE: As an Amazon Affiliate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
by Lilly Lewin
Welcome to November! a new month…moving us closer to a new year! Advent begins the new year of the church calendar, and celtic advent starts even earlier, on November 15 (really at sunset on November 14th) and runs the 40 days before Christmas. Wow! That’s a wee bit scary! I’m still somewhere back in September. I blinked and October is gone! And don’t forget Thanksgiving! Check out the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt to help you get in a grateful space for the month.
Today is All Saint’s Day…a day to remember those who have gone before us into God’s presence. Christine has a great post from last week with beautiful prayers and reflection on this holiday. Here are a few of my ideas to help us remember this weekend.
Light a candle and keep it burning today in remembrance of someone in your life who has died in the past year. This can be a friend, family member, or someone who has impacted your life that you might not have known personally.
Remembering can be hard and sometimes painful work…so be kind to yourself as you reflect on your friends and family members who have died this year. Grief is a holy thing that takes on many forms. Give yourself time to heal and to be in this space of loss.
Cook or bake a recipe from a family member whom you’d like to remember.
Share stories around the table about a favorite family member or friend who has impacted your life. They can be someone who has gone to be with God or someone still on earth.
Spend some quiet time remembering a friend, family member, author, or other person who has impacted your life. Write a poem, prayer, or story about them.
Look through old photos and take time to remember.
Who are some of the “Saints of Old” who have impacted your life or your faith?
Who are some current Saints who are helping you grow and making you think or change or deepen your faith? Spend some time thanking God for them. Take some time to Learn more about them.
Who are the people who have impacted your life for God and been an encouragement to you?
Are these Saints still living or have they gone on to be with God? What are other ways you can remember them today?
Many churches have All Saint’s Services this weekend that you might find helpful.
As you take time to reflect and remember this weekend, allow God to hold you in the the palm of God’s hand. Know that Jesus is with you in your joy and in your sorrow and in your remembering.
By Sue Duby —
Buried under hanging jackets, Chuck and I wiggled to make room for each other in our tiny “safe place” closet under the stairwell. With a small blanket tucked underneath us as a barrier from the cold tile floor, we glued our eyes to the live weather feed on my phone.
We’ve done this drill before. “Tornado Alley” living in Texas, Tennessee and now Arkansas. Five closet visits in the past 6 months. Jolted awake from a deep sleep with phones blaring another weather alert. Usually just thunderstorms or flash flooding to watch. This time, “Tornado Warning!”.
We stumbled upstairs, snuggled under blankets and clicked the remote to a local news station. “Circulation spotted… storm heading toward Pinnacle Hills in Rogers…take shelter now!”. That’s us! Down to the closet yet again.
Once settled, we paused to listen. We turned to each other, exclaiming at the same time, “This sounds different!”. Wind sounds we’d never heard. In the quiet, both of us pondering, “This could be really bad!”.
Finally, after 20 minutes, sounds diminished and we ventured out of the closet. Grabbing a flashlight, we peaked out the front door to see a debris strewn street and our porch bench next to the neighbor’s front door. In the backyard shadows, a tree lay sideways next to our toppled garden swing. With nothing to be done in the dark, we headed back to bed.
Tossing and turning, with head spinning and adrenalin pumping, I finally saw light peaking through our shutters. I headed out to the street, just in time to join other neighbors emerging from their homes. Chatting erupted, as if in a group convention. All of us blurting out stories, making sure all were ok. Wide eyed, anxious, comparing damage, shaking our heads.
Leigh’s front door buried under 4 downed trees. Bev’s loaded apple tree snapped in two. Massive oaks and maples uprooted. Tips of pine trees pointing skyward, looking like giant sharpened pencils from the wind shear’s furry. Head of Security driving by with a wave and shout, “This is going to be one long day!”.
It’s so very strange. Journeying on the “other side” after years of disaster response work. Coming up for air after the event, instead of watching from afar for a moment to come alongside with encouragement. Knowing others suffered more damage and struggling to be ok with grieving my seeming minor losses. Trying replay the words we so often spoke to disaster survivors…”Your disaster is your disaster. Don’t compare. It still hurts“. Easier to say, than to absorb in my head and heart. Knowing the landscape of our very own neighborhood will look different for years to come.
As I sat staring out the window this morning, 3 days later, heart pumping a bit slower, I heard a whisper…”The view is different. Put on a new filter”. Hmm. Different indeed! Neighbors behind us lost 5 trees. Limbs buried their pool. Their yard sits bare, with stumps dotting the space. I looked and sighed, knowing the sheltering green vista we once enjoyed is gone, replaced by the now ugly concrete fence line, once hidden. “Lord, help me to adjust my lenses!”
I paused and sensed a shift. Trees gone, piles of debris and yet… gratefulness welling up. Even a tiny chuckle. Then the “thank you” flood began.
Sunshine. The quirky chinaberry tree towered over our swing. Delightful summer shade on cool mornings, while I rocked with my cup of coffee. White winter berries hanging like ornaments through the winter months. Now, totally uprooted, the trunk smashing our fence and toppling the swing. And yet… realizing my flower garden next year will have 3 more hours of sun! Already dreaming of what to plant next!
Mysteries. Our green bench sits tucked in a corner next to the front door. The swirling winds lifted it up, away from our house, over a 4 foot bush, then sideways to the neighbors walkway. And yet…not a scratch. Left standing upright. Who can understand such wonder?
Mercies. Driving through the neighborhood that first morning, we gasped at uprooted trees lying across nearly every yard – some 50 feet high! Huge limbs torn from trunks flung far, smashing cars, crushing landscapes. A confirmed EF 1 tornado. And yet… not a single roof torn off. Not a window shattered. All houses still standing.
New vistas. My view out back brings waves of sadness. I’ve bragged about the lush green surrounding our yard. The concrete wall stands stark and dreary. And yet… the lost trees were old and scary. Ready to fall into our yard with a puff of wind. A landscaper is already at work to create a new oasis for our neighbors. Now I’m excited to discover what fresh wonder will soon peak over that crazy wall!
Community. We’re all sad. Scrambling to clean up debris. Pondering how to fix fences, check roof shingles and broken sprinkler pipes. And yet. . . we’re bonded. We’ll be swapping stories for months to come. We can smile and nod with a new connection that says, “I understand!”.
“Vision filters” determine my view at all times. God knows our hearts in struggle, in suffering, in unexpected circumstances. Honest wrestling is good and healthy. Then, in the midst, He wants us to being willing for a perspective shift. Sliding on the gratitude filter. Not just slapping a quick, “I’m fine now! God’s got it!”. Rather, an open heart that says, “God show me Your perspective. This still hurts, but remind me of where You’re at work. Let me see as you see.”
True wonder comes in such release. Making way for His whispers in the midst. Trusting that good will come, His presence will be felt and that you’ll even find yourself breaking out with a smile.
I’m grateful to be on “the other side” of the story this time around. My understanding is deeper. My heart is more tender. I can see more clearly. The wonder of His grace continues.
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