Facilitators' Advent Resources

 

From Mary Williams:

Here are some Advent materials gathered from YouTube: A couple of Taize chants with Advent themes, a chant with a bell choir, a beautiful instrumental version of “O Come Emmanuel”, a 23-minute video with a mix of songs, stories, and poems, a video with James Finley, and a video with Ilia Delio. Through screen sharing, these are easy to incorporate in a Zoom prayer group (at least on my laptop, it is).

 “Within Our Darkest Night (Taize)” --

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqQsZK57OX8

“Wait for the Lord (Taize)” --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GexIvX8HU&list=LL&index=14 

“On Jordan’s Bank (chant and bell choir)” --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d9wrI8IY0Q

“O Come O Come Emmanuel (instrumental)” --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7ySn-Swwc

“Contemplative Evening Prayer for Advent” (23 min) --

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJCMVOBi8X0

“An Advent Meditation with James Finley” --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POAu-09Hg2o&list=LL&index=2

“An Advent Message from Ilia Delio” --

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLo80ycQhgE&list=LL&index=1 

                                

Father Thomas Keating   (2019)

The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience, a book by Father Thomas Keating. Includes a chapter on Advent.

Awakenings by Father Keating.  A book of commentaries on Gospel texts by Father Keating in the spirit of Lectio Divina.  The first short chapter is about Advent.

 Sundays at the Magic Monastery:   Homilies from the Trappists of St. Benedict’s Monastery.  Three Chapters on Advent.

The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living: Excerpts from the Works of Father Thomas Keating  has scriptures for Advent.

 Richard Rohr:

Preparing for Christmas, by Fr. Richard Rohr.

Every year during the Christmas season, Fr. Rohr includes messages about the incarnation in his online daily meditations. These can be read and discussed in the group. The archives of Fr. Rohr's daily meditations can be accessed at: https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/.

Besides discussing a Richard Rohr Advent daily meditation, one facilitator added a poem by St. John of the Cross, a Lectio, and a Magnificat. The St. John of the Cross poem is found in Daniel Ladinsky's Love Poems from God. 

Other Ideas:

One facilitator:  “always gives members copies of the Magnificat Advent reader, and we pray Vespers in addition to centering on the week with the O Antiphons [for Vespers]”. 

"The O Antiphons are titles for Jesus and also found in the hymn 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.' The O Antiphons are part of vespers [evensong] the week before Christmas and can either be sung or read depending on the capacities of the pray-ers."

   

Another group:

 "Show and Tell"  “We have quite a large group, so some members did not have to present to the group.  I suggested 2 people for each of the 4 weeks presenting for 5-10 minutes.  I gave the group a sign-up sheet with the following:  Share traditions, activities, objects, music, art, writings that help you to draw closer to God at Christmas.  Lead us in a short experience that you value.  We not only benefited from the presentation material, but we learned more about each other.”

One year I bought the DVD: "A Thrill of Hope: The Christmas Story in Word and Art" from Emory University, the Candler School of Theology, also available through Barnes and Noble (about $12).  It is 50 minutes total and presents the Christmas story as told in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.  Each passage of scripture is illustrated by the artwork of John August Swanson.  I used about 10 minutes each time, and we had lectio with the scripture presented.  I also made color copies of the paintings to share with the group.

During the year we close each meeting with a prayer we read from a card, but at Advent, I print this prayer by Henri Nouwen on cards and then give them the card to keep at the last meeting:

Advent Prayer

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness

   Send your Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.

We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces

   to hear your voice each day.

          We who are anxious over many things

             look forward to your coming among us.

          We who are blessed in so many ways

             long for the complete joy of your Kingdom.

          We whose hearts are heavy

             seek the joy of your presence.

          We are your people, walking in darkness

             yet seeking the light.

          To You we say,

             “Come, Lord Jesus.”           

          Amen

A book by Nouwen:  Advent and Christmas Wisdom:  Daily 

Scriptures and Prayers