“I think there are a lot of well-intentioned preparations that can so consume us that we forget why we’re doing them.” - Jen Ludwig
Did you know Advent is not a 25 day countdown to Christmas?
Don’t worry, I am not about to knock the Charlie Brown chocolate Advent calendar we’ve all been eyeing at Costco this week, but I am going to nudge you to rethink how you interact with the season. Do you know what Advent means? Or its significance in Church history? Have you ever wondered if there might be something richer and deeper to the whole practice? Or perhaps longed for a more intentional approach to it for your family?
I mulled over all of these questions a few years ago while we were in the thick of babies in high chairs. There had to be something more for us than hurling a Fisher Price baby Jesus to the ground on repeat and reading a few Christmas board books. I started reading more about the liturgical calendar and discovered a rich, seemingly hidden world of rhythms that the Church had been embracing for hundreds of years. We bought a wreath and candles. We invited friends to dinner 4 Sundays in a row. We sang in a tiny dining room, read Scripture, recited repeatable words and all while being clumsy and imperfect.
This year my 11 year old asked me with a sense of urgency and longing: “Mom, we’re doing Advent dinners again, right?” She could have asked me a great many things related to Christmas festivities, but this was her first seasonal utterance. Talk about a parenting-ROI that I’ll be tucking away for when I feel discouraged.
I share that not to boast as if our family has it all together—we simply do not—but to prove that rhythms over time shape the way we think and feel. They invite us into a story that’s been written for all of time and they form us into people with eyes to see our part in the work of God’s in-breaking kingdom.
Today’s episode is such a timely gift because Advent starts Sunday, November 30th and I’m chatting with Jen Ludwig, author and worship leader, about her beautiful book Embracing Advent: Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos. Jen shares accessible ways to incorporate Advent into our lives with daily reflections and Scripture focused on preparing our hearts for Christ’s coming and grounding us amid the chaos of the season. This one is for the planners out there (hello, me) who need to pause before we fill our calendars with the things that don’t really matter.
I hope you’ll tune in NOW before the start of the season. Links to connect with Jen, order her book, and a few other Advent related resources are included below!
* Order Jen’s book here: Embracing Advent: Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos
* Find her on Substack, Instagram, and Facebook.
* She has a YouVersion devotional perfect for this season!
* You heard her mention how she broke the Christmas story up for her kids when they were little. Here’s the resource for replicating that in your own home!
* The Andrew Peterson album we chatted about and you MUST listen to if you grew up on Rich Mullins. Or if you didn’t…it’s beautiful stuff.
* And the Fisher Price nativity that Jen hilarously called the “you can mess with this” nativity set.
A few Advent resources for learning more that I’d heartily recommend:
* Ashley Tumlin Wallace on the practice and history of Advent
* Kendall Vanderslice and any of her work around Advent and baking.
* Danielle Hitchin’s book Sacred Seasons. I consult this year round.
* Behold the Lamb of God album - blare it all season until your kids have memorized the entire line of David and you weep when he sings “Gather round ye children come, listen to the old, old story of the power of death undone by an infant born of glory…”
