Posts Tagged ‘church seasons’

Can’t I just skip Advent?

December 3rd, 2008

We are now part way through the first week of Advent, and I’ve decided I don’t like Advent. Not really…but sort of. I had all my ideas for how I wanted to enter into Advent and then God decided to pull me into Advent in a whole different way…

One of the things that I had wanted to do this Advent was focus on the idea of Jesus being the light of the world and take time to anticipate His true Light coming into the world. Part of the way I envisioned doing that was by starting Advent in complete darkness and meditating and praying in darkness for a while so as to experience the need for light. Then lighting a candle and in doing so look forward to the coming of light. I wasn’t able to do that on the first day of Advent like I had hoped. I had wanted to experience the symbolism of darkness so that I could experience the symbolism of Christ as light, but instead I feel like God has taken me into real tangible darkness. I didn’t turn off all the lights and pray in darkness like I had planned, but I did take a plane back to Prague and as we drove home in complete darkness I felt the darkness of Prague and the darkness of my own life like never before. Things have felt sort of dark for a while now, or maybe more accurately I’ve felt this rumbling of darkness coming, and right before we left for Prague I started to really feel that darkness, but last night when we got back to Prague I felt darkness pressing in all around me in a way I never have before – heavy darkness, tangible darkness, spiritual and emotional darkness.

I realized today also that even though I had all these readings and stories and symbols that I wanted to draw me into Advent, Jesus chose to drew me in by taking me to a place where I feel like I have to wait, where things feel really unclear and really “icky”. But, isn’t that really the heart of Advent? Advent is about waiting, it’s a time when we enter into the experience that Israel had of waiting for a messiah. It’s a time when we realize that we also are in ways still waiting for and needing a messiah. I have known that’s what Advent is about, but lately I have really experienced that. I have really felt and experienced being stuck in ways and situations that I can’t get out of, stuck in waiting, stuck in darkness, and I deeply long for relief, for a break, for rest and redemption and restoration. I long for a messiah. I long for Christmas.

I wanted to really enter into Advent and God answered that and took me to a place where I really do long and desire and wait, even with a ting of desperation… but, now that I’m in that place, I don’t want to be. I want to skip Advent. I want to skip the waiting. I want Christmas.

Lord, help me to rest in the place that you have me, and accept it for your place for me.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Advent is Coming

November 1st, 2008

Today is the 1st of November and that means that Advent is just around the corner. I’ve been looking forward to this Advent ever since last Easter. And now it is almost here, just a few weeks away.

Last year I decided to learn more about the seasons of the church calendar and during each season I took some time to think and read what that season was really about. This year I want to start to reconfigure my life to fit and connect with each of the church seasons as they happen.

One of the first steps I’m taking towards that is the art exhibit I am putting together for Advent. Each of the artists will be creating art work that portrays Light in some way as a means for us to tangibly anticipate and celebrate the “light coming back.”

Under communism the Czech people weren’t suppose to celebrate Christmas. Christmas was down played, while the winter solstice was emphasized. They celebrated the fact that in December the light started to change and light started to come back into the world. But, that is also what we celebrate with Christmas and look forward to over Advent – the “Life-Light”, as Peterson calls Jesus in The Message, is coming into the world. Jesus himself says in John 8, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” This year I want to enter Advent as a season of Light – remembering and anticipating at the same time that Jesus, the Life-Light, has come and is coming and will come again.

I plan on focusing and carrying this theme of light out throughout Advent. I would like to have a time of silent, dark prayer on November 30th – really engaging in and recognizing the feeling of being in complete darkness and what it means to have light come into the world. I will also be lighting an advent wreath this year and witnessing with each passing week the lighting of an additional candle and experiencing tangibly a growing light as I anticipate the celebration of Jesus birth.

These are just a few ways that I plan on entering into  the anticipation of the Life-Light, Jesus, coming into the world. These are ways that I plan on engaging in Advent. I would love to hear how you and your family are going to engage in Advent this year. Please feel free to tell me about your advent traditions (old and new) in the comments.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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The Story-Formed Calendar

September 13th, 2008

My friend Tara has been an incredible encouragement and inspiration to me over the years and she has now created something that I think will be an encouragement and inspiration to me and others for years to come.

Tara has always loved stories and over the past few years she has entered into the story of Christ and his church by observing and engaging in the seasons of the church year. Now she has created a tool to help others to engage in God’s redemptive story throughout the year. She’s calling it the “Story-Formed Calendar.” It’s a calendar that is centered on the church seasons and the story of Jesus and his church. You can see the first few pages HERE. I think it’s beautiful and I’m excited to use it over the coming year.

Tara has also created a web site where ideas and activities for each season can be shared. It’s a place where people can share the ways in which they and their family are entering into each specific church season and experiencing the life of Christ through it. You can check out the web site HERE. It’s still getting started, but already she has some great thoughts and ideas up.

So, go check it out and … Enjoy :)

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Experiencing the Church Seasons Through Art

September 12th, 2008

A while back I heard about a group in London doing an art exhibit for Lent. A number of artists (mostly photographers and painters) got together and all created art work having to do with Lent and journeying through Lent. I thought this was a really cool idea and thought why can’t we do something like this in Prague?

One of the things that I have done this past year is tried to enter into, and walk with Christ through, the different seasons of the church calendar (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and “Ordinary Time”). It has been an incredible experience for me and God has really spoken to me through each of these seasons. God has drawn me into deeper truths about my life and my own walk with Him as I have journeyed through Christ’s life and the life of His church during the church year. One thing that I have wanted though was to make that journey more in community and to do so in creative and artistic ways that touch more than just the mind but also reach into the heart – I wanted a journey through the church calendar that would not just be mental but symbolic.

God has shown me a lot over the past few years about the power that symbols and pictures and stories can have and the special ways that God can use these things to draw us to himself. So, I started to think about getting a group of artists and creators together to make an exhibit of pictures and symbols and stories for each season of the church calendar for one year. I dreamed of a group that would consist of all types of artists (photographers, painters, sculptures, potters, writers, movie makers, etc, etc) each bringing their own unique talent and gift to the table to show the different church seasons in an artistic and creative way that would help people to enter into the redemptive moving of God in the world, whether they are far from God or near to him. I imagined a group that would be made up of artists from all different backgrounds, nationalities and churches, united with a common desire to create something that would bring glory to God.

So, that was my idea or vision and honestly I don’t really know what will happen (or not happen) with it. But, I want to take a little step towards it and create an art exhibit for Advent. The weeks before Christmas are often so hectic for people and we all spend a lot of time preparing externally for Christmas day – buying presents, decorating the house, going to parties, etc. But, I would love to see a place and an experience that would help people prepare their hearts and souls for Christmas. I’d love to create a place, through art, where people could experience Advent and what it really means – a place where they could remember that Christ has come and is coming and will come again. And I think that art can speak to that and draw people into the story of Christ and his church better than anything else.

So, I don’t have any of the details worked out. I don’t have a venue or anything yet. I do have a small handful of people who have expressed an interest in being involved though and for that I am really thankful. So, if any of what I’ve written here resonates with your heart I would love for you to join me in praying about this and for it. If you live in Prague and are at all interested in helping make this happen by creating art (in any form) for the exhibit I would love to have your help. If you have any connections with art galleries and know of a venue that might work for this I’d love to hear about it. Or if you are just curious and want to hear more about it I’d love to talk with you about it.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany

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