Reading Through Advent

I never feel as if I read enough during Advent. Or perhaps I don't read Advent books. I always read fiction through out the year but I don't really prepare to read for Advent.

Advent is the kind of season which will be missed if you blink. It is smothered by Christmas preparations, shopping, Carol services, arrangements to see family, haste, haste, haste and TV adverts. We are bombarded by what we should buy, do, where we should go, and the enforced gaiety. 

I always do my best to push back against the pressure. Obviously I want to teach and preach something that brings Advent and Christmas to life for those around me but there is also a need within me which calls me to slow down, be gentle to myself and listen. I want to shield myself from the lights and the noise and just wait.

This year I decided to do some intentional Advent studies. I am finishing up the reflections I have been following this year, and I am also reading Advent reflections. 

I need to find myself this Advent and also find God or perhaps become more aware of the ways in which God finds me. Reading is one of those ways. My birthday is on the 27th of November which is the day before Advent starts and so Advent reflection for me is also a time to take stock and ask questions.

Am I travelling through life in a way that brings me life and peace?

Is my life a blessing to the world around me?

How can I draw nearer to God?

How can I be light in the darkness and difficulties of the Covid pandemic?

What should I focus on in the year ahead?

What does the Christ child mean to me?

Are you running with me Jesus?

The last question is one I ask all the time. One of my heroes (Revd Malcolm Boyd) asked himself this question many years ago. It shaped him and shaped his ministry and it has also become my question.

I have a questioning internal life and God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) speaks to me and with me but I have to wait and listen. 

Part of that waiting involves reading and reflecting.

So this Advent I decided to read some of the many, many books I have in my library. 

Advent for Everyone by Tom Wright explores themes of thanksgiving, patience, humility and joy. It focuses on different New Testament passages but although it is supposed to be used during Advent, it doesn't really feel as if I am journeying through Advent. It is an ok book for some bible reflection but a bit like any other devotional book. I am glad I am reading a couple of other books alongside it. 

In contrast, Paula Gooder's books are rich and overflow with the Advent story and journey. I have started with 'The Meaning is In the Waiting'. It is a lovely book which takes us through the theme of waiting, by exploring Abraham and Sarah (the patriarchs) , the prophets, John the Baptist and Mary. It is a opportunity to explore my own waiting as I wait for the babe in the manger and as I wait for Jesus to return. It kind of relates to those questions that I reflect on. 

As I reflect on my own 'waiting', the readings give me the hope that the God who sees and hears, is there waiting with me, waiting for me, listening to me, speaking to me. 

And as I read and wait, I begin to hear more deeply.

The third book, Journey to The Manger will take me to the manger after Christmas, because I won't start it properly until I finish Tom Wright's book. I am sure it will be a good book to read after Christmas, especially in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year. I always feel as if that time of year is deeply special, quiet and restful for me.  It is certainly quiet for everyone but it is a time of thinking for me, a time to gather and prepare for the year ahead.

Advent is also a time for some practical reading as well. By that, I mean finishing off some books which have accompanied me through the year.

Malcolm Boyd's Rich with Years has been an amazing book which has accompanied me through the turbulence of this year. The daily reflections are not from the bible, but they are from life and based on the theme of ageing and being older. When we look back on our lives what do we see. What about our relationships with others? How do we keep living well as we become older. This book has given me so much comfort this year. It has been like a close friend and it is definitely one I will read again.

Then there is a study book on Exodus and Leviticus. I have been reading this study book since 2020. It is a good book, one of the Old Testament for Everyone series. Easy to read and one of those books that have a very good way of helping you study the bible in a very straightforward and easy to read way. An excellent series for bible study groups as well. I just need to finish it though.

Alongside all these other books I have my usual piles of fiction. I am making my way through the Robert Crais detective series and I am finishing off Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series. I also have books and graphic novels to read which also need to be reviewed. These are my staple everyday readings. I have kind of pushed them aside to focus on Advent.

And as people quietly reduce their Christmas activity because of Omicron, it feels like an opportune time for Advent reading. I am enjoying it, allowing myself to slow down, wait, read, reflect and listen.