At the worship on Sunday, Dec. 4, copies of the Advent/Christmas reflection calendar were handed out. These daily reflections and actions help us notice “where God is breaking through,” wrote author Molly Phinney-Baskette.
You can view the calendar here, below Molly’s column, or check back on our Facebook page during this month for the daily reflections.
~ By Molly Phinney-Baskette
Beloved, it’s been a YEAR. Inaugurations, investigations, mass protests and counterprotests. Hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires (many of them, metaphorically, at the nation’s capital). Muslim travel bans, transgender rights rollbacks, open assault on the poorest and sickest people in America through cruel legislation. Two of the largest mass shootings our country has ever seen. White supremacists openly on parade, with torches, and without masks. Nuclear holocaust nightmares, redux.
It’s also been the year of the largest single-day protest (the Women’s March on Jan. 21). The annulment of much of that cruel legislation by an engaged electorate. The takedown of wealthy and powerful sexual predators, and the unmasking of sexual harassment and assault nationwide, by women on the political left and the right. White people awakening to their privilege and showing up in greater numbers to protest white supremacy (it’s a start). And, momentarily, the seating of newly elected trans folks, women, and people of color in political office throughout the land.
You probably know, because you are church nerds, that Advent is not just about the coming of itty bitty baby Jesus. It is the season of Apocalypse — the second coming of adult Jesus (look busy!) in judgment. Apocalypse means “uncovering.” Put that way, it doesn’t seem so threatening. It may even seem welcome.
As much suffering as we have endured as a nation this year, we are also experiencing an unprecedented uncovering.
We are more deeply aware of the ways in which our culture, society and even and especially our religion (I’m looking at you, Christianity!) have propped up the Powers That Be and condoned violence against black and brown bodies, women’s bodies, queer/trans bodies, immigrant bodies. More, if not all, is being revealed about the way we have failed to live up to Christ’s vision of Kin-dom.
At the same time: we are struggling to articulate a Christianity and a Jesus that doesn’t live in luxury in Herod’s palace but is getting born, born, born into the margins of Bethlehem. In the comments section, they call us snowflakes, for daring to love recklessly and stand with the underdog, always.
Well then: let’s embrace snowflake Christianity. Let’s run out into the field with the shepherds, stare up at the sky with the wise ones, and stick our tongues out to catch the next flakes as they fall. Let’s be on the lookout for where Jesus might turn up next–what ways the most vulnerable will turn out to be the supernaturally powerful, after all.
This year’s Advent calendar is about noticing where God is breaking through, bringing attention to the minute and the massive, so-big-we-might-have-missed-it-otherwise hope and holiness in the New Creation.
A new thing this year: half the calendar is written by my brilliant friend Rev. Quinn Caldwell! It maps to the UCC Advent Devotional book, Watch (each day, the prompt matches the devo). The print edition is sold out, but you can still buy a Kindle edition if you want to read the devos here (though the calendar works just fine without the book): https://www.uccresources.com/products/watch-2017-advent-devotional-the-stillspeaking-writers-group
I’m so grateful to still be here, to still know you, to be in this together. A blessing upon each and every one of you, wherever you are.
Community UCC Fresno 
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