(I back-dated this to the start of advent because I forgot to post earlier.)

As I've mentioned before I go to a very cool, queer, artsy church and they asked me to make an advent wreath. I was also part of the liturgy guild and we met, discussed, and created the liturgy for the season of advent.

We are a Lutheran/Episcopal church and use a common liturgical calendar for the year that has readings that we are supposed to use for each week's service. This year, we just started using a brand new lectionary created by a black womanist theologian, Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney, it's called "A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church." The lectionary centeres the experienced, stories, and voices of the marginalized, especially women.

The following is the advent wreath that I made inspired by Rev. Dr. Gafney's lectionary and a reflection activity I created to go along with the elements I used in the wreath.

Reflection Question: What element do you connect with most this week?

First Advent Candle - Water

Water, the basic most fundamental element to life. We listen to the story of Hagar, a woman, an enslaved person, and a foreigner, and yet she is the first person to give God a name. Hagar meets a messenger of God near a wellspring of life--water--in the desert. Was this the first celebration of communion?  

Second Advent Candle - Sand

Of desert lands, emptiness, soul-searching and the barren earth of isolation when we desire connection and relationship. Of childlessness when a child is desperately wanted. Of loneliness when we long for love and friendship. When faced with desolation, we yearn for relief, we search for hope.

Third Candle - Stones & Moss

Lichen and moss are the first living creatures that start to populate open stone, building the foundational layer that will eventually become a forest and a complex ecosystem. The lichen grows, surviving on minerals from the rocks, creating life out of bare elements. 

Fourth Candle - Evergreen Branches & Red Berries

Evergreen branches represent everlasting life and red berries, the blood of humanity. The carved wooden star foreshadows the mortality of the cross, and also the star of hope and perpetual light. Red and green remind us Christmas is around the corner

Christ Candle - Friendship Bracelet

God gives us the gift of Jesus so God could be in direct relationship with us. Emmanuel. Mary and Elizabeth give each other support and share joy, finding comfort in each other's company . We are called to be closer to God through love in action. God is love. Dios es amor. God is manifest in acts of love, we are called to create and be a part of community, making bonds of friendship and love.