Advent Stations Guide
Green Wood, Dec. 11, 2021
Welcome to Advent Stations!
This is our first try at creating a quiet space to reflect on each of our four Advent candle themes among luminaries at Green Wood. We invite you to visit each station in whatever order feels right for you. Three stations are outside. The ground is a bit uneven behind the building and if you have mobility issues or hesitate to walk outside in the dark, we have placed stations in spots where anyone can view them either from the windows of the sanctuary or from the paved parking lot. If you choose to stroll to the stations, perhaps you’d like to bring a flashlight or a walking stick along with you.
As you visit each station, remember there’s no need to rush. Go at your own pace. Linger wherever you find beauty and solace. May you experience more deeply the hope, joy, peace and love of the season. Then join us around the campfire in the good company of friends and Christ among us.
If you can’t join us in person, we hope you will find a quiet beautiful place to enjoy these readings and prayers on your own.
Your Advent Station planning team,
Debbie Houghton
Amy Kennedy
Melanie Snook
Carol Teener
JOY
(This station is located inside the sanctuary at the Advent wreath)
Someone this fall told me how her grandkids were super excited
when their dad was able to get his Covid vaccine.
After his jab, they greeted him at the door
with colorful handwritten signs
celebrating the protection he would gain from his shot.
When these same kids finally became eligible for their own shots,
they expressed their excitement over the phone.
“Guess what, Grandma??? We have an appointment to get OUR vaccines!!”
My kids never felt such enthusiasm for their immunizations.
They were mostly cooperative throughout the ordeal,
but there was no gratitude.
Only the hope of a tasty treat as a reward afterwards.
Today’s kids KNOW how a pervasive illness in our community
can separate them from friends, cancel events, shut their schools,
and lead to lots of hard decision-making in their homes.
These kids see the vaccine as part of what can rescue them
from uncertainty and fear and isolation.
They look to the vaccine with JOY.
What if we look to Jesus’ arrival in our lives with this same joy?
What if we welcome Jesus with open arms
and ask him to help us with our uncertainty, fear, and isolation?
What if we thank him that he shows up,
even in a pandemic, if we only take the time to notice?
We invite you to pause and pray one of these prayers from the Advent devotional booklet, the inn, before you move on:
Make of my heart a stable, a house for the holy,
a warm and sturdy place for joy to live and grow.
Thank you for being by my side, Jesus.
Thank you for understanding what it means
to be human and vulnerable.
I’m glad you are here and I greet you with joy!
Amen.
In this moment, I open the door of my heart,
letting go of what I do not need.
I take a deep breath in…
And then breathe out loneliness.
I breathe in understanding…
and out again, inviting joy.
HOPE
(This station is located at the distant deck to the right as you look out the sanctuary windows)
Blessing of Hope
So may we know
the hope
that is not just
for someday
but for this day—
here, now,
in this moment
that opens to us:
hope not made
of wishes
but of substance,
hope made of sinew
and muscle
and bone,
hope that has breath
and a beating heart,
hope that will not
keep quiet
and be polite,
hope that knows
how to holler
when it is called for,
hope that knows
how to sing
when there seems
little cause,
hope that raises us
from the dead—
not someday
but this day,
every day,
again and
again and
again.
—Jan Richardson
We invite you to pause and pray one of these prayers adapted from the Advent devotional booklet, the inn, before you move on:
Make of my heart a stable, a house for the holy,
a warm and sturdy place for hope to live and grow.
Holy One, Thank you that you meet us where we are
and offer us fresh hope every day. Amen.
In this moment, I open the door of my heart,
letting go of what I do not need.
I take a deep breath in…
And then breathe out fear.
I breathe in courage…
and out again, inviting hope.
LOVE
(This station is located on the hillside to the left as you look out the sanctuary windows)
STAR-GIVING
What I’d really like to give you for Christmas
Is a Star…
Brilliance in a package,
Something you could keep in the pocket of your jeans
Or in the pocket of your being.
Something to be taken out in times of darkness,
Something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
Something you could hold in your hand,
Something for wonderment,
Something for pondering,
Something that would remind you of
What Christmas has always meant:
God’s Advent Light into the Darkness of this world.
But Stars are only God’s for giving,
And I must be content to give you words and wishes and
Packages without Stars.
But I can wish you Life
As radiant as the Star
That announced the Christ Child’s coming,
And as filled with awe as the Shepherds who stood
Beneath its light,
And I can pass on to you the Love
That has been given to me,
Ignited countless times by others
Who have knelt in Bethlehem’s light.
Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a Star.
–Ann Weems
We invite you to pause and pray one of these prayers adapted from the Advent devotional booklet, the inn, before you move on:
Make of my heart a stable, a house for the holy,
a warm and sturdy place
for love to live and grow.
Take a moment to pray for the intangible gifts you hope for
in the lives of those you love. Silently call them by name
and remember that Jesus loves them too.
In this moment, I open the door of my heart,
letting go of what I do not need.
I take a deep breath in…
And then breathe out disappointments.
I breathe in oneness…
and out again, inviting love.
PEACE
(This station is located outside on the side lawn near the parking lot)
TOWARD THE LIGHT
Too often our answer to the darkness
is not running toward Bethlehem
but running away.
We ought to know by now that we can’t see
where we’re going in the dark.
Running away is rampant…
separation is stylish:
separation from mates, from friends, from self.
Run and tranquilize,
don’t talk about it,
avoid.
Run away and join the army
of those who have already run away.
When are we going to learn that Christmas Peace
comes only when we turn and face the darkness?
Only then will we be able to see
the Light of the World.
–Ann Weems
“The Lord lift up her face to you and grant you peace.” — Numbers 6:26
We invite you to pause and pray one of these prayers adapted from the Advent devotional booklet, the inn, before you move on:
Make of my heart a stable, a house for the holy,
a warm and sturdy place
for peace to live and grow.
In this moment, I open the door of my heart,
letting go of what I do not need.
I take a deep breath in…
And then breathe out regret.
I breathe in forgiveness…
and out again, inviting peace.
And we pray you do go in peace!
Amen.