Advent (WWG 37)




ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

The above is from the Book of Common Prayer service for the first day of Advent. In the Christian tradition, Advent is both the beginning of the Church Year and the beginning of the Christmas season. It is a time of preparation and introspection. It has its roots in various Roman and Goth overwinter celebrations as European humans hibernated in the winter. The first candle is hope against the darkness of the world. That the snow would go away and warmth return. 

These days, it's all about commerce. No one cares about the weather or warmth. It's who has the best deals on the modern Cyber Monday (FKA Black Friday). Buy! Buy! Buy!. 

As you finish your leftovers, say the prayer for all those Amazon and UPS workers. 

They need all the help they can get. 



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