Come Healing: An Advent Evensong

Dear Friends,

Advent often takes me to Narnia. I was looking through old Advent sermons the other day, and I was struck with how many of them made reference to those great stories by C.S. Lewis. One scene that never showed up in my older sermons, but is a picture of Advent, plays out in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

Aslan, the Christ figure in the stories, has been raised from the dead. But all isn't made right, not yet. The chilling army of evil still wages war on the good and noble creatures of Narnia. A host of those loyal to Aslan remain as statues, stone prisoners, in the palace of the evil White Witch. It's a time between times. A time between the dawn of hope—Aslan's resurrection—and the ultimate victory of good over evil.

That's where Advent lives, in that space between the resurrection of Jesus and his ultimate victory, "when he comes again in glory." This is why Advent can create such profound space for doing business with grief, longing, and pain that remains, ultimately, hopeful. Maybe that's why Advent is one of my favorite times of the church year, because it reflects so much of life. I long to live a life that is full of hope, but not one that ignores the harder realities of this world. 

This year, on December 15 at 5pm, we will offer a worship service we are calling "Come Healing: An Advent Evensong" to more deeply explore all of this. Cannon Hunt and I are planning a liturgy that will let us be in that space that spans hope and darkness, allowing us to offer prayer, worship, and praise in the middle of all of that. Maybe the truth is that's the only place we can offer prayer, worship, and praise.

This service will be Evensong, a traditional form of Anglican worship that mixes prayer, scripture, and song to move us more deeply into the love of God. During the service, I will offer prayers of healing for those who desire them, and we will create contemplative space for you to be quietly open to the loving presence of Jesus in your life.

During Advent, we prepare for the coming of Christ. If this service of prayer would help you to do that, I hope you will join us.

God bless,

Fr. Quinn+