TulipGirl

This day,
In sadness borne,
We must confess:
The Spirit of the Age
Has crushed
The infant in the cradle.

And yet:
O glorious yet,
One day, in gladness shown,
We must profess:
The infant from the manger
Has crushed
The Spirit of the Age.

Tristan Gylberd (1954-)

From George Grant and King’s Meadow

The purple candle for the first week of Advent represents prophecy. These are the Bible passages we’ll be reading this week.

Sun. Is. 40:1-5
Mon. Is. 52:7-10
Tue. Is. 40:9-11
Wed. Gen. 3:8-15
Thu. Gen. 15:1-6
Fri. Deut. 18:15-19
Sat. Ps. 89:1-4

And we will be singing:

Joy to the World!

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

Trinity Hymnal #149

Advent, the First Sunday, 2009

The Whip of Advent

The pitch of the stall was glorious
Though the straw was dusty and old
The wind sang with orchestral beauty
Though it blew bitter and cold

The night was mysteriously gleaming
Though the earth was fallen, forlorn
For under the eaves of splendor
A child-The Child-was born

Oxen Sheep and doves
Crowded round Nativity’s scene
Though the world still failed to grasp
T’was here that peace had been

Cast out into a cave
When no room was found for Him
His coming was a scourge
That cleansed a robber’s den

While the Temple’s become a cattle stall
Where beasts and such are sold
The Child’s turned Manger into Temple
And changed the base to gold

Tis the paradox of the ages:
Worldly wisdom will ne’re relent
To notice signs of visitation
Nor the cords of the whip of Advent

–Tristan Gylberd

When J12 was little — probably just 4 y/o or so — his favorite hymn was “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” He sang it with gusto, and we sang it throughout the year because he asked us to sing it almost every time we had family worship.

Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!”

The Incarnation. . . beautiful. . . Veiled in flesh the Godhead see / Hail the incarnate Deity / Pleased as man with man to dwell / Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Calvin painted a tender picture, For who even of slight intelligence does not understand that, as nurses commonly do with infants, God is wont in a measure to “lisp” in speaking to us? And wasn’t it Tim Keller who said that the Incarnation is Deity for Dummies?

R9 opened our family worship with prayer and included “And keep us from worldly commercialization. . .” I didn’t even know he knew that word, much less the concept.

We lit the “donkey” candle, and tried to sing As Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night. Being as amusical as we are, we couldn’t quite carry the tune — even with the help of the cyberhymnal.

Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

*

We talked about the shepherds. R9 (who also lit the candles this week) piped up about the shepherds being not well regarded. We talked about how Jesus came for both the lowly and the wise, announced His coming to the shepherds and the magi. Hubby spoke about Jesus, the Good Shepherd — and how we are his dumb, wandering, shepherd-needing sheep.

And while it may may go better with the fourth Sunday in Advent, and while our voices are not glorious, we closed by singing,

Angels we have heard on high,
singing sweetly through the night,
and the mountains in reply,
echoing their brave delight.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tidings did you hear?

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Come to Bethlehem and see
him whose birth the angels sing;
come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Luke 2:1-5

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Micah 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

Today we light the second candle on our Advent wreath, the Bethleham candle.   We remember that what may seem insignificant to us — a small town, a young woman, a poor carpenter — the Lord works in ways that can seem insignificant and yet changes the world.  Today’s sermon was from I Samuel 1:21 – 2:10, not a passage traditionally tied to Advent.  And yet, the message dovetailed so beautifully with what we are remembering with Advent.   (The sermon is now online — please listen.)

We couldn’t decide on which Advent hymn to sing this week, so we’ll be singing two — and both of these echo the message of our sufficiency in God alone, whose plans are glorious though may not appear so at first.

As I shared before we are using a wooden calendar as part of our daily Advent time. I printed out these verses (page 1, page 2), and have them behind each door, along with yummy candy. (Last year, we also had fun activities hidden behind some of the doors.)  Part of the boys’ morning routine is singing our Advent hymn together, reading the verses together, and enjoying the candy.

(My friend Allison pointed out that Target has their wooden calendars on sale right now!)

I told Hubby the one thing that I wanted for Christmas was this song — and he found it!  *giddy* I’ve looked the past few years, and couldn’t get it online.  I get so sentimental.  It just doesn’t feel like the holidays without the Leprikonsi.

Ну, Дед Мороз! Ну, Дед Мороз!
Ну, Дед Мороз, погоди!

Update: 12/28. . . It’s not even New Year yet, and the video was taken off YouTube. I’m soooo bummed. Grump.

Tonight we assembled our Advent wreath.  Along with tapers purple and pink and a pillar of white, the boys have arranged magnolia leaves, spanish moss, acorns and bits of grass.  We turned off all the lights in the house, and were goofy for a few minutes in the dark.  Then I lit a candle that I was holding, gave it to one of the boys, lit another, until we were each holding candles.  We took our candles outside and saw how much even our little candles brought light to the dark neighborhood.

We returned to the table, and my oldest lit the first candle, the prophecy candle.

Isaiah 9: 2 – 6

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We talked about why we observe Advent.  We talked about light, darkness.  We talked about prophecy and the incarnation.  When I told the boys to look up hymn #194, my oldest got excited, “I love that one!”  We’ll be singing it together each day this week.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Advent has become a special part of our family’s tradition.  It looks a little different each year, grows, changes. . .   I’ve shared bits of it in the past, but wanted to gather in one place what Advent looks like in our home for a reference for the future and for those who are curious.   What we do changes each year, and so I’ll share what we’re doing this year.

Why does our family observe Advent?

Advent is a time of anticipation, preparation.  Advent is looking towards the coming of Christ, both His incarnation and His coming again.  It is a time of expectant waiting.   When I was about 8 years old, I remember making an advent wreath at the Base Chapel on Adak.  My mom has told me that as a child, it was important to me to have the rituals and traditions of faith.

Advent is a tradition, not a worship practice that is directed by the Bible.  Yet, the Bible is replete with both prophecies looking toward the future–to the Incarnation and our salvation–as well as enjoinders to remember what God has done for us in the past.

For me, traditions are a catalyst for remembering, for refocusing.  As an adult these are important to me because they direct my heart and thoughts to the Lord, as well as help me take special time with my boys.  The holidays can be stressful. . . observing Advent is a way for me to focus on the Lord and not be swept up by the commercialism, the frantic pace, and the distractions around me.

If you are new to the idea of the Advent season, this article is a good overview.  If observing Advent prompts your heart to worship, that is a good thing.  But please remember this is not something that all families do or need to do to celebrate the Incarnation.

Advent Wreath

We make an advent wreath each year.   Advent wreaths usually have four candles around a circle, one to light each week, with an additional candle in the middle to light on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Each Sunday in Advent is focused on a specific theme, and the corresponding candle lit that Sunday (and possibly each day of that week.)

Our wreaths tend to be rather non-traditional, as we started using an advent wreath and lighting the candles when we were in Ukraine and had to be creative with what we had at hand.  One year we used a small mirror as the base with four votive candles in the corners and a pillar candle in the middle.  The boys were quite small that year, and I wanted something I could easily put out of reach of little hands, and this one fit on our small shelf.   Another year, we made one which was more traditional, using live evergreen branches to make the wreath.  The past few years the boys have gone on a nature walk and gathered greens and other outdoorsy items, we’ve arranged them on a plate, and affixed the candles to the plate with a bit of modelling clay.

Badgermum has clear instructions on how she makes her Advent wreath.   The more crafty and creative among us can check out these instructions and inspiration.

Lighting the Candles

Each Sunday in Advent, we gather around the table, light the candle, sing Advent hymns, read Scriptures and pray together.  Some years we do that each evening, some year we do that just on Sundays.  Since we have four boys and there are four Sundays in Advent, each boy gets a turn lighting the candles.  I’ll be posting our hymns and readings each week.  You can also find Advent readings online:

Teaching Mom: Advent

Advent Readings (PCA)

Advent Readings (PCA)

CTK Advent Devotional (PCA)

Advent Readings

Advent in the Home (ECUSA)

Camille’s Kid-Friendly Advent Readings

Advent Calendar

In addition to lighting the candles on the Advent wreath on Sundays, we’ll be opening a door on our wooden advent calendar this year.  (This is the one my MIL has, ours is a little different.)  I have meshed our weekly candle lighting and readings with daily door-opening and reading Bible verses I printed out.  Each little compartment also had either four pieces of candy or an activity written on it.  Activities are things like drink hot cocoa together, make homemade playdough, watch a holiday movie, bake cookies.  These are activities I want to remember to do this holiday season, but tend to happen only if I plan ahead.  This little calendar helps me plan ahead as well as be a surprise to the boys.  I also have a few small gifts that go along with the calendar and activities — things like speciality instant cocoa, Christmas mugs for each of the boys (bought on clearance last year!), microwave popcorn to go with the movie.  Obviously those don’t fit in the little compartments, but I put a little note behind the calendar door and pull them out of the closet when they open the door.  Like I said, I have to plan ahead to do these fun holidayish things, and this helps me actually do fun things with the boys that otherwise fall to the wayside when I get busy.

Other families observe advent in ways that we aren’t this year.  When our boys were little, we had a Jesse Tree that was passed along to us by Auntie L.   Several friends use these ideas for Jesse Tree devotions.  Other families use books like Jotham’s Journey or Christ in Christmas.    Some of these ideas may work for you — or none of them might be right for your family this year.   Advent can be a catalyst for preparing our hearts for worship, but if it becomes another holiday stress than its purpose is defeated.

Blessings to you and yours this Advent season!

The dates for advent this year are:

November 30 – First Sunday of Advent
December 7 – Second Sunday of Advent
December 14 – Third Sunday of Advent
December 21 – Fourth Sunday of Advent

Just a reminder for myself as Advent approaches. . .

The infant from the manger
Has crushed
The Spirit of the Age.

When I was little, I had cassette tapes of my Maw Maw on the radio in New Orleans being Mrs. Claus. Children would call up and ask questions about the North Pole or ask Mrs. Claus for that very special gift they hoped to find under the tree on Christmas morning. One of the things I’ve always admired about Maw Maw is her ability to jump feet first into new projects and try new things. She passed that quality along to my mother, too.

For the past couple of years, my Mom has been Mrs. Claus at Navy Pier in Chicago. (Did you know Mrs. Claus’s first name is Cookie?) She delights the children and adds to the magical air of the holiday season.

We’ve done something new this year, which I think I’d like to turn into a family tradition. I put a bunch of Christmas movies at the top of our Netflix/Blockbuster queue–both ones that we know are classics and ones which we’ve never seen. On the evenings Hubby has to work, the boys and I snuggle in bed and watch Christmas shows. Usually I drift off to sleep in the middle of the movie. . . We’ve watched classics like The Nutcracker and It’s A Wonderful Life (with Hubby) and movies new to us like Holiday Inn, Christmas Past, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Special.

I don’t like doing too much TV time, but it’s nice and cozy and snuggling in front of a movie is the Florida equivalent to cuddling in front of a fire. . .

TulipGirl and Discoshaman

C6, J10, R7 and T9

Hubby and the boys really like singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Today they turned it into a medley, singing the words from “Amazing Grace” to that tune. The meters work, and my men are amazing. I can’t keep the tunes/words straight with this variation.

Grace and peace to all of my friends and readers, as you prepare your hearts for the Advent of Christ in our lives daily, and as you celebrate with your family with joy!

So we missed church this morning. There is an early service at 8am (impossible) and at 9:30am. At 10:30 T9 was asking “when are we leaving for church?” C6 had “helpfully” turned off the alarm clock. I didn’t even hear it go off–I must have rolled over and gone back to sleep.

So we had family worship today. I like having multiple copies of the Trinity Hymnal now. We didn’t need to pull them out for today’s Christmas hymns, though.

C6 lit three candles today. This is the week for the joy candle. We sang all the verses to Joy to the World.

I spoke with someone on the phone today and recognized the lilt in her accent. While her English was flawless and accent faint, it was just enough for me to ask her where she was from. Ukraine. Kyiv. She hasn’t been there in 15 years. My memories are more recent than hers.

As we are in the holiday season, a lot of memories and “traditions” we made in the few years we were there are making me sad and nostalgic. I liked having the season paced a bit slower than in the States. Our family observing Advent. Christmas on December 25th, celebrated with our family and teammates. New Year’s–which has the traditions and emphasis in Ukraine that we have here with Christmas. That was celebrated with our Ukrainian friends Then Ukrainian Christmas in January. Then Old New Year around the 13th. Each celebrated slightly differently, but still sharing some traditions and the spirit of the holidays.

The temperatures have dipped slightly. Enough to wear a sweater or coat and not look like you’re totally out of your mind. While in general I love the Florida weather, right now I’m missing Ukraine’s winter. Watching the snow fall, looking out from our 15th floor flat and seeing a fairyland instead of grey concrete block buildings.

I haven’t kept in touch very much with our friends or teammates in Kyiv. But as I’m doing my Christmas shopping, I’m mentally picking out gifts for Sasha and Laura, Dima and Erik.

Added on later: One of the things I have really been missing is our annual trek to Dyetski Mir, Children’s World. It is a 4 story department store, and the top floor is all kids’ toys. Really it had an impressive collection of kids’ things. Hubby and I would get a babysitter and then go Christmas shopping for the boys. One of our favorite toys we found were little plastic guys (like green army guys) but specific to a historical period. We got knights and vikings and lots of neat things. Unfortunately, by the time we discovered them, the toy factory in Donetsk had already been closed. Typed out, this doesn’t sound very exciting, but it was one of our “traditions” that I miss.

We have a couple of people on our gift list who have everything they’d ever want or need and are pretty hard to buy for. But, I bet none of them has their very own crocagator. I’m tempted. Buying a ‘gator is a very Floridian thing to do–even if they don’t get to unwrap it under the Christmas tree.

(For more ideas, check out the 2005 Gift Guide For the Hard to Buy For Bunch)

Ooooh! I love this hand made, fair trade nativity set! It’s finger puppets for children to act out the Christmas story, made by Peruvian women through a fair trade program.

Update: The one pictured is out of stock, but there is a smaller finger puppet nativity set here.

The holly and the ivy,
Now both are full well grown.
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas day in the morn.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

Chorus
Oh, the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.

(Listening to Christmas music mixes at Pandora.)

Here at TulipGirl:
Advent – The First Sunday
Advent – The Second Sunday
Advent – The Third Sunday
Advent – The Fourth Sunday
Examples of Advent Wreaths:
Midnight Cafe
The Badger Mum
TulipGirl 2004
This Classical Life (see the banner–looking for the wreath pic in the archives!)

Online Advent Calendars / Studies:
GCF Advent Study 2006
Teaching Mom’s Advent Calendar
Advent for the Family
Advent Devotionals

Advent Articles / Books:
Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope
First Sunday in Advent, Joel Garver
Christ in Christmas

Other Resources:
Advent Coloring Pages
Advent For Evangelicals Blog

This year’s advent wreath is made with the ferns, vines, and pinecones which the boys gathered from the woods. We used plates as the base, with clay to hold the candles in place and upright.

Tonight R6 lit the prophecy candle and we read from Isaiah. We have started with the readings we used a few years ago for advent.

Had a nice evening making Coq au Vin, drinking shiraz (used instead of burgandy), wearing my WIC Have You Hugged A Presbyterian Today? apron and listening to Harry Connick, Jr’s, Christmas album. Usually I am a strict constructionist when it comes to Christmas–doesn’t start until Advent and/or after Thanksgiving. But I had this cd from the library, and after thinking about Roger Whittaker yesterday, well. . .

I’m making Coq au Vin for a birthday potluck tomorrow. I bought a crock pot today for this very reason. I have wanted one like the one my Mom bought me before we moved to Ukraine. Unfortunately, even with the transformer, it wasn’t happy with the electrical current there. Still, it had a removeable pot and all-glass lid, and so could be used in the oven and on the stovetop. So, that’s what I wanted if I bought another crock pot. Do you know how hard that is to find?

Washing dishes by candelight is the best way to do it.

My bil is here, helping Hubby repair our recalcitrant laptop.

T8 is begging to read LOTR. Hubby wants him to wait until he’s older, not because it is “too much” but because he wants him to really be able to appreciate it So, we’re encouraging him to read The Hobbit first to get used to J.R.R. Tolkein’s style.