[Purple Haize]

Anyone still observe it? Just curious as to what all the traditions are. In my old age I keep forgetting.

[Fumblerooskies]

There was a great lesson about peace (the first candle) in our early service and in our Sunday school class. In reading some of the threads I steer clear of posting in, peace would be good lesson to remember.

[Sly Fox]

Our church made a point of bringing up the old terminology today.

[ATrain]

Nothing mentioned about this in Campus Church

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

Being a liturgical bigot of sorts - yes, we United Methodist along with most of the other traditional mainline churches still observe the celebration of Advent - Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, especially the evangelicals within those denominations deeply appreciate the ancient celebrations of the church year. You poor anabaptist types don't know what you are missing! I even display a liturgically correct creche scene in my tiny front yard. Mary and Joseph go out on the 1st Sunday of Advent. Appropriately, Jesus doesn't arrive until Christmas Day, the star begins to shine and the shephards also show up on Christmas Day. The magi start their journey from the eastern side of my yard on Christmas day as well, slowly progressing to the manger scene, arriving on Epiphany as they should. The neighbors in my cul de sac love it. Sorry this is my church history nerdy side coming out.

[Sly Fox]

Anabaptists and Huguenots rock!

[Purple Haize]

I prefer Wiccans myself!! (That way I could always call them a WITCH!!)
Advent seems to be the 'forgotten' part of the Christmas season, I wonder why that is?

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

Hey PH,

Its forgotten - if it ever was a remembered to begin with - in the popular culture because of the concern for inclusvism. But in Christian culture it has only been forgotten by those Christian traditions which rejected it as a part of their "liturgy." Attend a service at any of the denominations I mentioned in my previous post and you will see that it is alive and well. The prayers, the scriptures, and the sermons are all about Advent. The "secret" of Advent is not simply that Christians are patiently waiting the coming of Jesus on Christmas day - it is that we are eagerly awaiting his Second return to earth - that is the heart of the message of the Advent season. Most of the Scriptures and hymns read and sung during the Advent season are about Christ's second return to earth to establish his kingdom for ever. Oh and it a separate season from Christmas - the Advent season is the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day (this year the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve). The Season of Christmas last for 12 days from Christmas day until January 5th. January 6th begins the Season of Epiphany marking the arrival and departure of the magi.

[Sly Fox]

I moved this thread into the Chapel where it seemed more appropriate.