ADVENT TRADITIONS

12/5/10 Today is the second advent Sunday of 2010. Advent Sundays are the four Sundays before Christmas Day. The entire advent season is a time of expectancy. Christian families wait and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Through the years we Liles have only done it “officially” on Sunday. But….we’ve done it so often we even have our own script. As each married and moved away, I sent an advent candle holder along with a copy of our script.
In the past, on the 2nd Sunday, I would have opened in prayer, our youngest child (Molly) would be lighting the purple candle of faith from last week’s lesson, Larry would read Matthew 1:18-24, middle child (Josh) would light the next purple “candle of light” (also known as the Bethlehem candle) after the devotional and oldest child (Buddy) would lead the singing of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and my favorite carol of all, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

Now the script doesn’t quite fit our empty nest household---it doesn’t exactly fit Buddy’s either because he and Day have a lot more kids who will need a part. Whereas Molly and Corey only have one and Josh and Megan have none, it doesn’t fit their houses either and I’m afraid our tradition will die out.

Maybe each house will alter and begin its own tradition. Maybe that’s what Larry and I need to do because it feels lonely here when I think back on previous advent Sunday nights: the time our Jewish neighbors’ son came and came back again when he realized that the next time, Mr. Liles would be singing “We Three Kings” and he didn’t want to miss that; the joy on the faces of our kids opening those small gifts which were fairly predictable over the years---ornament, the first Sunday, magazine or book the second Sunday, etc; extinguishing our candles the Scrooge way---“scrooging” has a way of leaving spit dribbles on the candles.

One year we shared our traditions with friends. With everything organized with our kids so that they were also a part, we had it all planned down to the letter----except for the electricity going off. (& only on our street) It turned out to be memorable, probably more so, because of the “seeming” catastrophe. Cooking was done via extension cords over the fence from our back neighbors’ house and our grill. Gifts were given by candlelight so that those who received gifts with the “wrong” name could pass them on to others. The gift went on…

Tonight, if gmail cooperates, I plan to open an email sent by a friend from Germantown Methodist that includes an Advent guide. Maybe Larry and I will find just the right advent lesson for empty nesters who miss sharing this tradition with their kids.