Advent at First

I've already told you about the delightful fireside Advent services at Trinity on Wednesday nights. I'm also lucky enough to have extra opportunities for Advent prayer: compline on Tuesday nights and vespers on Thursday nights, both at First Lutheran.

Compline is prayer at the end of the day; vespers is evening prayer. I am coming to love these daily prayer offices more and more all the time! Advent is such a rich and perplexing season that it's nice to have as many opportunities as possible to reflect on its holy mysteries and what they might mean for us. It's even nicer to do it in community.

Then there's the extra bonus of learning! This week I led compline on Tuesday and learned how to use incense on Thursday, both new experiences for me. At the beginning of the season, I helped Pastor Luther turn the chancel into an Advent wonderland, an adventure involving hauling in trees in the aftermath of an ice storm.

See the evidence of the melting ice on the carpet:

But look how beautifully it turned out!

Here's a closer view of the trees, votives, and banner. The banner changes each week of Advent, as the seedling grows into a flower and eventually blooms.

And the Jesse Tree made by the eighth-grade confirmation class.