It gets darker and darker, and then Jesus is born. (This quote has been attributed to author Wendell Berry by fellow author Anne Lamott, and it's one of my favorites .) There is something about the extra darkness this time of year that invites us to create light. We do that in different ways: lighting Advent wreaths at home and at church, putting candles in the windows or on the dinner table, decorating our homes with brightly-colored bulbs, building fires in the fireplace, g

As the year winds to a close, all around us the signs of celebration are appearing...lights on rooftops, wreaths on doors and lightposts, displays in store windows. Our inboxes and mailboxes fill with notices of sale prices and shipping deadlines. The restaurants and coffee shops start offering pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint-flavored everything. Everywhere we go, we can hear the sounds of the season... Rudolph and Silver Bells and It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Chri

In the darkest weeks of the year, just when it's gotten really cold in Central Minnesota, we find ourselves at a new beginning. Again. It's the Saturday before Advent, the Church's liturgical New Year's Eve. While the rest of the world is racing ahead to Christmas celebrations the day after Thanksgiving, the rhythm of the Church invites us to pause, to reflect, to prepare intentionally and deeply for the coming of Christ. This time of year isn't just about getting ready for t