Advent

What is it? Essentially it’s a countdown to Christmas Day. It began as a Christian tradition. It’s a way to focus on the coming Christ child as the bringer of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. In a way it’s also a symbol what we’re waiting to see manifested at the second coming of the Christ. A more detailed explanation can be found here.

In modern times, the countdown has become more of a secular one, with a daily calendar of gifts ranging from small to big, from chocolate to jewelry and everything in between.

I’m a practicing Christian. I’m not affiliated with a particular denomination or “brand” of Christianity. I worship, learn, and wrestle with my faith in the context of a small, independent, community of fellow believers. Our Teaching Elder (more commonly thought of as a “pastor”) is Marc Schelske, author of “The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-given Purpose and power of Your Emotions” and Journaling for Spiritual Growth, as well as a couple of others with more on the way. He focuses on what it means to worship, serve, and follow a God who characterizes “other centered, co-suffering love.”

I could go on and on (and likely will do so in the future) but I want to get back to Advent and why I’m choosing to focus on this right now.

I’ve been wrestling with my faith a bit, recently. In the face of rampant gun violence and theocratic politics in America, genocidal wars and terrorism, human trafficking and domestic violence, I’m struggling with the concepts and practice of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

So, I’m taking some baby steps to reconnecting with those aspects of my faith. Thus my digital Advent calendar.

My process is to excerpt a snippet of scripture from The Revised Common Lectionary Advent readings on a daily basis and pair it with a piece of digital art I’ve colored. I didn’t create the images. I use a coloring app from the Google Play Store and the Pic Collage app to edit the image.

I hope you will connect in some way that’s helpful and positive for you.