Advent Resource Round Up
Precisely because it’s only September and you’re not up to your eyeballs in Advent and Christmas preparations (at least not yet!), SALT is offering up our annual “Advent Resource Round Up” to start your planning off right!
1. Isaiah 35
Hear anew God's promise of restoration and hope through the mouth of Isaiah. We think this fresh interpretation of Isaiah 35 would be perfect for worship or retreat settings this Advent season. Grab the video here and let joy burst into bloom.
Pour yourself a cup of green tea, pull your cat up into your lap, and read this short, thought-provoking sermonette by one of our favorite preachers, Rev. Elizabeth Myer Boulton. As you read, may you be filled with wonder, awe, and the knowledge that despite whatever shadows lies ahead, God’s love is our constant and redeeming light.
3. Messy Hope
Vulnerability is everything, and churches everywhere need to work hard to become places where people can risk becoming vulnerable and let their true selves be seen. It takes courage, but amazing things happen when we let ourselves know and be known.
If you’re curious about what it might look like for a church leader to become vulnerable, read Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath’s courageous and poignant Advent reflection here. Hope, like vulnerability, is a messy business, and – thanks be to God – that’s exactly where God is born!
Want an engaging, intergenerational way to share the story of Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary about Jesus’ birth? SALT's got you covered! We’ve created a cute, stop-motion animation film featuring our favorite pig, Hamlet, for a fun new way to tell this old, old story. Filled with tutus and bluebirds, this short film is sure to please everyone, from two to ninety two!
Sometimes the happiest and holiest time of the year is also the hardest for people to enjoy. If you find yourself in that camp, Quinn Caldwell’s book, "All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas," is for you! These daily readings offer the busy and over-committed an opportunity to make room - perhaps just enough room - for God to show up.
6. Magnificat
Check out our take on Mary’s Magnificat. Based on the song that Mary sings in the first chapter of Luke, this short worship film explores what it looks like when God lifts up the lowly and fills the hungry with good things.
SALT’s own short film – inspired by Nicholas Kristof’s essay, “When Whites Just Don’t Get It,” and built around a fresh parody of the holiday classic, “White Christmas” – continues to be a relevant challenge when it comes to what’s right and fair.
Christmas is a season of miraculous happenings, and yet we’re bombarded daily with news that can break your heart over and over and over again. In this lovely essay by Rev. Dr. Matthew Myer Boulton, we can hear God calling all of us to work for peace, whispering in our ears all the while, “Do not be afraid.”
Decided to change things up with your candle lighting litany this year - but stumped when it comes to explaining the light of God’s hope, peace, joy, and love in so few words? Click here to borrow ours!
10. SALT’s Amazing New Advent Calendar
To round out your Advent resources, how about a way to keep the faith active during this time of waiting? SALT’s Printable Advent Calendar offers up a way to stay present in the season, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s gorgeous to look at, too!
Well, that's our list! As always, let us know what you think and what your favorite Advent resources are - and, until next blog post, know this: we know it's only September but we're excited to share in this remarkable season with you, these precious weeks of hope, justice, peace, joy, and above all, love.
Peace,
The SALT Team