The Christian year begins not with the brilliant flowers of Easter, the dazzling flames of Pentecost, or the soft glow of Christmas morning. It begins with the longest nights of the year. Wendell Berry, the farmer-poet, writes “It gets darker and darker, and then Jesus is born.” Poetry can help us adjust our eyes to the darkness and prepare for Jesus to arrive while at the same time to arrive ourselves at the manger wherever we are, right here, right now. In this Advent devotional, we let scripture and Berry’s poetry be our guides, together pointing us toward weekly practices that can help us prepare for the radiant joy to come. Week by week during Advent, we’ll make our way through the dark, arriving at last on Christmas day, that beautiful glimpse of heaven’s earthly life.

Join us via ZOOM on four mornings at 10:00 AM beginning Wednesday November 26 (Wednesday December 3, Tuesday December 10, and Wednesday December 17). To register and receive the digital Advent program guide and ZOOM link, email Rev. Al allan.budzin@sympatico.ca. Participate in as many sessions as you can.