Awake - 1st Day of Advent

Good morning!  (Or if you're industrious and checking the blog when I finish, good evening!)

Today's word is actually "awake", but in looking for pictures of that word that might be inspiring, I discovered there's a movie by that name, and as I want to focus on the verb form, I added the N. :)  I'd like to thank the Awaken Church in Wenatchee, WA for the loan of their logo - they're a non-denominational Bible Church, and they've got great taste in logos and messages. :)

SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist) has a great sermon with many thoughts on which one can meditate regarding being "awake", discussing Matthew 24:37-44.  One portion of it says:

Some of you here today may need to wake up. There may be events in your life right now – very full events or very vacuous events – that God is using to speak to you or lead you. Wake up to it! For others of you, the invitation that God may be giving you now is from another side of Jesus’ personality and another side of his teaching: an invitation to rest in the peace of Christ, to savor the sampling of food that shall last forever, to drink deeply from life, to relax, to abide, to enjoy, to reincorporate the word “leisure” into your soul.

Keep those things in mind as you go through your day - awake to the possibilities within yourself!

Activity for the Day:  Call a friend or family member that you have not talked with in a while.  Maybe you can mention how excited you are that this is the first day of Advent!  Ask what they're going to be doing to get ready for their own holy days - or if they're non-religious, ask what their plans for the holidays are.  Find a way to re-awaken your connection (C'mon, it's my job to make everything come full circle - you had to expect it).  

Preparing for Advent

Well, it's been a while since I've updated on here, but it's again coming up on Advent, one of the two times of the year when I post daily.

First, to catch everyone up on the happenings among the Episcopal community in our little corner of Northwest Montana:

• Holy Trinity is still seeking a part-time priest for the small, but faithful, community of Troy, Montana.  Interested people should contact the Bishop.
• We grieve with the believers in Libby, MT for the desanctification and closing of our sister-church, St. Luke's.  They now meet in each others' homes, much like the believers in the early Church.  Please pray for them.
• The prayer shawl ministry continues strong and vibrant, making shawls, blankets, hats and scarves for the community at large.

Next, this Advent Season, we're going to focus on two things - both of which require your participation!  The first is the Photo Meditation on a word from the Formation and Vocation Offices of the Episcopal Church.  Find a photo that describes the word that will be posted, and share the photo, or share a link where we can find the photo in the comments for the day.

The second is a challenge called "Taking it to the Streets" - practical, every day challenges on what you can do to make Advent special and focused for you and for others you interact with during the season.  Challenge others to do the same.  Create your own methods and things to do.  Educate others in the Episcopal methods of celebrating the Advent season - and remember to listen to others as they educate you on their own traditions.  We're not so different - sometimes we just have different practices or traditions that lead to the multitude of Holy Days in this time of year.  We want others to respect our celebrations, and the best way to do that is to respect theirs - and learn something new in the meantime!