Close to Home
Advent is coming. This liturgical season that I cherish so, is highlighted by the rich “sarum” blue alter cloths, candles, and vestments. Messiah Lutheran Church, where I serve, will be adding an 11am Advent worship service with the theme “Close To Home” created by a gifted group of artists under the banner “Sanctified Art.” The season and service both begin on November 28th. Messiah will still have its 9am traditional worship service; however, it is this “Close To Home” service that touches my soul.
Advent and anticipation come hand in hand. There is something to be said for anticipation, whether in the Carly Simon song “Anticipation,” or in a church sanctuary. The serenity of the sanctuary when winter is near, when all is silent, and when anticipation hangs in the candle-lit air awaiting Christmas Eve. When “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” will soon change to “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
The theme for these 11am worship services, “Close to Home”, makes me long for home, even when I have no idea where that might actually be. Is it with my kids? Is it back in Detroit? Is it just a longing deep in my soul? Or might it be a place that once was, which shall never be again?
Advent brings to the surface the longing, the expecting, and the anticipating of something more. All three have caused pain and anguish in my life after being broken often into tiny pieces that cannot be mended. The interesting thing is how those three return year after year, time after time, imbuing me with the a sense of joy and excitement that fills the air and my very being. The great hope I have is for something more, something unattainable perhaps, and something so very soothing as described in Psalm 130: 5-6:
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
My soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.”
Each day I will pose a question or thought leading up to Messiah’s first contemporary 11am Advent service on November 28th. Whether you attend or not, I hope you will return to read a few of my words, a few of God’s words, and an anticipatory question to ponder each day. If you are so inclined, please respond in the comments below.
Today’s question: When was a time that you felt homesick?
Graphic Design by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman | Original photography by Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org