The blog Messy Jesus Business has a post on Advent and our Christmas habits called the disturbing poor baby Jesus by Sister Julia Walsh FSPA Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Here is an excerpt I am even more disturbed when I read the Christmas story in the bible and let it challenge

Growing up, I had many evangelical friends who were preoccupied with an imminent Second Coming of Christ. I could never get on board with this apocalyptic worldview—I think I worried too much about experiencing a frightening moment, when I realized that the truly faithful had been raptured awa

Cataclysm is not God's dream for creation.

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp It is instructive to compare the reading from St Paul and the reading from St Matthew nbsp St Paul in Romans tersely describes the coming of Jesus his Son descended from David according to the flesh nbsp As for today s Gospel nbsp St Matthew tells nbsp gives

Because we are so used to the Incarnation of the child who came to live among us and the manner in which it happened nbsp I think we take for granted its inevitability It was not necessary God could have redeemed humanity in some other way with more might more power more fireworks - think Holl

Last night I attended an Advent service of song and readings at my parish church accompanied by two close friends one a secular agnostic and the other a nonpracticing Mormon nbsp The choirs offered sacred selections ranging from ancient chant to English carols to traditional Christmas music

The liturgy of Advent never fails to lead me out of November's shadows.

Readers share suggestions for keeping Christmas sacred

Let Advent be a savoring of the ways God already enters our lives.