Something to Discuss: Advent Book Group During the rush and busy that is December you are invited to pause and slow down.
On Thursdays during Advent (December 1, 8, 15, 22) from 7:00-8:15pm we will gather to discuss Martin Laird's Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation. This short book offers a gentle, realistic and accessible entry point to the practice of contemplative prayer for those who are new to this form of prayer as well as those who have practicing contemplative prayer for some time. We'll conclude each evening with Compline, a prayer service said at the end of the day which someone once described to me as the church's lullaby.
To sign up, please email Melesa+. Participants can purchase the book here or via your preferred place to purchase books.
Something to Reflect with: Living Compass Devotional If you are looking for a way to walk through Advent with intention, we invite you to pick up a devotional booklet from Living Compass. Living Compass is an organization that, "Outfitting individuals, families, congregations, and organizations with tools and training for the journey toward wellness and wholeness." They offer a variety of materials for individuals and congregations, and this Advent's theme is Practicing Simplicity With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. The booklets will be available in the church office and at the ushers table on Sundays.
Something to Pray: Pray as You Go Pray As You Go is an app you can download on your phone that offers a daily prayer session, designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst traveling to and from work, study, etc. A new prayer session is produced every day of the working week and one session for the weekend. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection. Click here to learn more.
Something to Read: Advent, by Fleming Rutledge Advent, says Fleming Rutledge, is not for the faint of heart. As the midnight of the Christian year, the season of Advent is rife with dark, gritty realities. In this book, with her trademark wit and wisdom, Rutledge explores Advent as a time of rich paradoxes, a season celebrating at once Christ’s incarnation and his second coming, and she masterfully unfolds the ethical and future-oriented significance of Advent for the church.
