Just start when you’re ready, as you are.Īgain, head here for the book and the music and art resources for making your Advent simple but meaningful this year. But you can get it after Advent begins, too… you won’t ever be late. Advent is our permission slip to slow down and enjoy the view.Ĭopies have been selling rapidly but you still have time to get your copy of Shadow & Light before Advent. Im slow In the step like a dog whos had his day But by the morn all the words that you said keep coming back Youre the light in my shadow Youre my. As people, we walk through these four weeks leading up to Christmas together, one day at a time, waiting with anticipation. For me, Advent works best when I keep it in its right place: as a scaffolding to hold time. Take and enjoy from Shadow & Light what works for you leave what doesn’t guilt-free. The book also includes a simple 101 on Advent if the ancient holiday tradition is new to you, as well as a few extras, like readings from the Gospels if that’s more your style and special readings for days like St.
It’s perfect to read with a community, but it’s just as lovely to read on your own.Įach day provides a short reflection of a Psalm (the historic Church’s original prayer book), followed by a contemplative or discussion question, a song from the book’s playlist, and a work of art to meditate on. I first wrote it for my own family, but as I restructured it slightly for others, I wanted a guide that would serve both families with small children to empty nesters those who live alone to those who live with friends. I wanted something simple yet rich, something open-and-go yet still contemplative. I wrote Shadow & Light: A Journey Into Advent because I longed for a holiday guide I couldn’t find. Our souls need the visual reminder that time moves forward, the seasons cycle back again even when things are hard or strange, and that we are made to live in those life-giving rhythms. Normally I’m a no-tree-until-Thanksgiving purist, but to heck with that this year, I say – we’re putting up our tree this week. Friends, it’s hard to believe it but Advent is finally just a few days away! I’ve been craving the holidays more in 2020 than I ever have in my lifetime, and I am leaning all the way into it.