It’s my yearly time to speak into the contemporary worship community and experience regarding the Advent/Christmas season. Here is last year’s letter for reference.
This is a heads up to all worship leaders, and friends who join our community here. It is also a loving cry to our creative leaders for attention to the season into which we are about to enter.
Next Sunday, Advent begins, and worship leaders should attend to its themes, and its history.
We reclaim themes such incarnation, expectation, redemption, eschaton and new creation, in such vibrant ways, in this season of the Church year.
Nowhere moreso do we move the soul toward these remembrances, reclaimings and reimaginings as through the new, and old, songs of Christmas (see SimpleCarols post below).
I think I’ve decided that the beauty and power of Advent is accentuated by most of the carols, and that there is a reason I long for the season to come. It’s definitely my favorite time of year to engage the privilege of being a worship leader.
I wouldn’t trade the role for any artist wanderings or creative forays, this privilege of simply leading people in the traditional carols on a weekly basis through the Advent and Christmas season.
Some may suggest nostalgia is a part of the draw, and they may not be far off on one level, but so many of the carols exude the simple elucidation of an otherwise complex mystery.
We begin again the Christian year – the according of time around the epicentral themes of the Scriptures, and the Christ event.
Lead your community, along with other spiritual leaders in your community, in the Advent journey.