Vol. 1, Issue 1: Entering into Advent

Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul

Dec 01, 2023

Welcome, friends!

It’s such a privilege to enter a new Church year alongside you in this space - our inaugural issue of Signs + Seasons, filled with a whole spectrum of voices…each one wrestling beautifully with the Advent season, asking questions, sharing ideas & experiences.

Inviting us to hold arrival and waiting in the same open hand, Advent trains us to see that this is the daily practice to which we’re called: to affirm that beauty exists alongside suffering, glimmers of completion among the incomplete, and that Christ is the loom through which all of these mysteries of the broken and the lovely are woven.

In the posts below, you’ll find unique lenses for seeing Advent. We pray that these will help you enter into the season with fresh eyes!

Pax vobis,
Kristin Haakenson

From the Editors

An Outdoor Lessons & Carols for Advent

Dixie Dillon Lane shares a beautiful tradition, adapted for sharing in community, that brings a unique flavor to Advent.

Cultivating a Sacramental Vision

Sara Dietz interviews Ann Collins about the impact of sacramental vision in our faith!

St. Thomas grey, St. Thomas grey / The longest night & the shortest day

Kristin Haakenson explores the beauty in the Advent holiday of Thomasmas.

Around Substack

Glory to God, Peace to Men

This beautiful piece by Cody Ilardo emphasizes Advent’s role as a pattern of worship in our lives.

Do you think you can bear living here?

Steph Ebert of Just Beautiful draws a poignant connection between imagination and the hope embedded in Advent.

Shoes in the hall, Lussekatter, and Winter's arrival

Erin walks us through farm life in December, and the hopefulness dotted throughout the month.

Advent I, II, & III

Annelise Roberts has a series of thoughtful Advent posts that dive into the music of the season, interwoven with beautiful reflections.

Advent: Waiting in the Dark

Artist Kirsten Basram takes us through the expectant-waiting of Advent, accompanied by her ethereal paintings.

Advent: The Uncanny Mirror of Birth & Death

In a touching article, Bridget Riley encounters both death and birth in Advent.

Creative Family Advent

Mackenzie Chester provides low-stress, doable activities for the season!

Around the Web

From Darkness to Light: Reclaiming Advent

Tsh Oxenreider shares her family’s experience of folding Advent into their home, and how that profoundly realigns their experience of Christmas.

Inspired by the Visigoths: Intensifying a Short Advent

Medievalist mama (Carolyn) dives into the history of the Old Hispanic Advent and dovetails it into the context of modern life.

Living the Season Well & Ad Vent

Poet Jody L. Collins has created a gem of a book - as well as a web site - to help foster intention in the Christmas cycle.
Jody also shares her poem “Ad Vent,” a comforting reminder of the intent in this season.