Preparations

When I was growing up, the cartoons I watched taught me that dynamite and quicksand were going to be pretty constant concerns in adult life. You don’t want to get blown up? Know what TNT stands for, keep an eye on the fuse at all times, and don’t let any sparks near the fuse or the TNT box. Don’t want to drown in quicksand? Read the signs, watch where you’re going, and know where the large branches and/or vines are nearby. Piece of cake. Yet, in all these cartoon-based life lessons, no one warned me about laundry and dishes. They’re relentless! You eat, then you have more dirty dishes to wash. You get dressed in the morning, and by the end of the day, you have more dirty clothes to wash. It’s a never-ending cycle! And if you’re like me, it took a while to figure out how to prepare for and manage the cycle of laundry and dishes, in part because several someones—real and cartoon—taught me life was about preparing for the extraordinary while living in the drudgery of the ordinary.

As we begin the cycle of the liturgical year once again, you may be feeling the relentlessness of it all. The pressure to make Advent/Christmas feel special. The crunch of finishing up end-of-year paperwork and giving campaigns. The busyness of extra rehearsals, gatherings, parties. Just as our society enters a season of ramping up activity as we head into Christmas and winter break, the liturgical calendar slows us down. Wait, the calendar says. Don’t rush in. Prepare.And as amazing as the Christ child coming is, we’re not preparing for dynamite or quicksand. Our preparations to greet Jesus happen in the oh-so-ordinary things of life.

So, how do we model and invite our people into this sense of preparation? Perhaps we might begin by preparing the altar as part of worship. One of my favorite rituals during Holy Week is the stripping of the altar. Think of this as a reverse stripping of the altar. Consider opening worship by singing “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” or “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” while a team of laity dress the altar. Cover the altar with a purple cloth, add a few candles, maybe even add the Advent wreath if you traditionally place the Advent wreath on the altar. If not the Advent wreath, place a meaningful symbol in the center of the altar, like a cross, a dove, or even part of a Nativity scene. What might it communicate to place the empty stable at the center of the altar? Whatever you do, keep it simple! There’s more to come throughout this series. Let this be a time where the congregation sings and enacts Advent preparation together.

With Advent comes, for many communities, the lighting of the Advent wreath. As you plan for how to incorporate the lighting of the Advent wreath into worship, consider what role this ritual plays in worship. Is it an extension of the call to worship? Or is it an act of praise? Does it have the character of confession? Or is it a bridge into proclamation? The United Methodist Book of Worship indicates that the lighting of the Advent wreath is usually part of the Entrance in the basic pattern of worship, but where we put it in the Entrance—what goes before it and comes after it—helps define its role in worship, giving it more meaning and sense of flow as part of the overall worship service.