Advent resources for youth

Advent is a particularly difficult season for me. The fledging mystic in me is drawn to the quiet, to the darkness, to the call to awareness of all of the God and all of the not-God swirling in the world. Like many people who try desperately to practice active waiting of Advent, the cultural whiplash is constant. Of course, Christmas worship has to be planned. Of course there will be Christmas parties. Of course there will be shopping (though each year, we pare down). If only the spirit of togetherness that strikes people during the month of December could be extended! That way my inner mystic could sit still and breathe in the darkness during the liturgically appropriate season, and my extrovert soul could don tacky clothes at all the parties later in the year. Alas.

I experience Advent as a time of deep grieving. I think about what hope means to those who depend on it to survive. I draw even closer to God’s promises of peace and transformation for this broken place, and I feel the contrast between ads for new diamond earrings and images of starving human souls in Yemen even more than I usually do. I do not want to wait anymore. I am not bored of waiting; I am tired of waiting. I am tired of celebrating the birth of a helpless baby who is also the full revelation of God each year and expecting something to be different. My long-expected Jesus has still not set the people free. In his name, oppression has not ceased. I know that the birthing of the Kingdom is slow; I know we are called to be midwives; I know that now we know in part and someday we will know fully. But Advent is a time when we are told that the Prince of Peace is coming. And when I muster up the courage to believe it, it is hard not to be disappointed that all of the God and all of the not-God still seems to be swirling around exactly as it was before I made the effort.

I continue to practice Advent because I hope that the Spirit continues to transform me, year after year. I hope that I become more aware of the in-breaking of God’s light in the world, more sensitive to paths that open through prayer, more faithful in teaching that the mystery of the incarnation is deeper and more powerful than we can plumb. It is good to grieve. It is good to carry a small candle of light into the darkness and then be blinded in uncomfortable ways by the artificial light that awaits my return.

I created the Waiting Well: Advent for Youth devotions as a resource for youth to engage the more intentional waiting of the Advent. Each week centers on a theme (hope, peace, joy, and love) and engages a cycle of seven activities and reflections: doodles, scripture, songs/hymns, drawing, acts of gratitude, photography, and prayer. They are wonderful exercises for families with middle school aged children, and the content is appropriate for middle and high school youth to do on their own. These exercises help youth reflect on what it means to wait well, to wait expectantly, to wait actively.

I also fully understand that it is totally reasonable for others to be less drawn to the mystical side of Advent than I am…especially for 11 year olds. So, in fact, we do not just sit in the darkness and have feelings during our meetings in December. This game of Advent Jeopardy strikes a good balance of familiar and challenging. It’s remote-ministry friendly and requires almost zero prep. Leaders just need to find a youtube version of Ave Maria for one of the clues.