The holidays are all about traditions

Wait for the light of Christ - practice a tradition that is thousands of years old

It’s almost time to decorate for Christmas.

I used to be a stickler about not decorating until after Advent was over, but it meant I was always rushing around on Christmas Eve, slapping up sparkles and greenery that I would only enjoy for the 12 days of Christmas before taking down.

I gave into the culture. Now I put up all the decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Which this year will be the beginning of Advent.

I don’t feel bad about it. The traditions we keep - and the way we participate in them - change over the years, and over our lives.

For many years, I was single and living alone. Most of my holiday energy was spent at church, and then I visited others during the Christmas season.

Today I feel more settled in my married and family life, and decorating is part of fostering the spirit of warmth and joy in my own home.

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The tradition endures, even if it’s expression is a little different.

This Advent, I invite you to participate in a Christian tradition that is thousands of years old - in a new way.

Practice Vigil with Trexo.

It’s part of the earliest Christian tradition - staying awake and alert to God’s presence in our lives, and in the world.

And it’s something new: We’ll meet online. Right here on Substack (you’ll get an email with the link. Just click to join)

At 9pm (we’re staying awake!), for about 15-20 minutes. We’ll light Advent candles, sing, pray, hear a reflection, and be together as Christians have been since the beginning.

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‘Keep awake’, Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew (which we read on the first Sunday of Advent). ‘You do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’

We still do not know the day, but we set aside this season of Advent especially for watchfulness.

• For the light of Christ.

• For God who becomes Incarnate as a baby.

• For the day when Christ will come again.

This is our practice of HOPE. It’s our insistence - we know the light is coming into the world.

It’s our act of resistance against the darkness we see all around us.

It’s a Christian tradition that dates back to Jesus himself, reminding his disciples to stay awake (Matthew 24:42), asking them to stay up with him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38-41).

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Join us in Advent for our Intensive Practice of Vigil.

Week 1 (Nov 30): Wake Up
Gospel: “Keep awake, for you do not know the hour”
We move from hyper-vigilance to danger to purposeful alertness for God’s presence.

Week 2 (Dec 7): Prepare the Way
Gospel: John the Baptist - “Make his paths straight”
We practice the uncomfortable work of spiritual preparation - repentance.

Week 3 (Dec 14): Keep Watching (Even When You Doubt)
Gospel: Even John doubts - “Are you the one?”
We learn to recognize God’s action even when it doesn’t look like we expected.

Week 4 (Dec 21 - The Longest Night): God Is With Us
Gospel: “They shall name him Emmanuel - God with us”
We watch through the darkest night because we know the light is coming.

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