Friday Five: Adventually

Although it comes as late as it can this year, Advent is upon us. Some of us grew up observing it, while to others (including this childhood Baptist) it was even more foreign than Lent! Over the past twenty years, I have grown to love Advent as a season of preparation, although as a pastor I find it harder to practice it at home than at church, even when the church might prefer I make it the other way 'round.

Here are five questions about Advent for this first of December:

1) Do you observe Advent in your church?  Yes, and since I've always been Episcopalian, I always have. 

2) How about at home?  Yes.  Not as much as we used to when I was a child, because we ALWAYS had dinner together and lighted the candles before the meal.  We would always say the responsorial verse:  "Our King and Savior draweth nigh: Oh, come, let us adore him." 

3) Do you have a favorite Advent text or hymn?  Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
in the Body and the Blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph;
cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

4) Why is one of the candles in the Advent wreath pink? (You may tell the truth, but I'll like your answer better if it's funny.)  It's the Mary candle, and it's pink because she is embarrassed to be an unwed mother!  (In Spanish, the word for pregnant = embarazada).

5) What's the funniest/kitschiest Advent calendar you've ever seen?  I'm currently in love with The Cat Who Laughed.  Go see! 

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
in the Body and the Blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph;
cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

4) Why is one of the candles in the Advent wreath pink? (You may tell the truth, but I'll like your answer better if it's funny.)  It's the Mary candle, and it's pink because she is embarrassed to be an unwed mother!  (In Spanish, the word for pregnant = embarazada).

5) What's the funniest/kitschiest Advent calendar you've ever seen?  I'm currently in love with The Cat Who Laughed.  Go see! 

Comments

[Iris]

I'll have to try the cat who laughed later. It wasn't letting me go forward. I know I'll like it because the cat reminds me of my beloved kitty!

[Tripp]

(o)

[Deb Vaughn]

I love The Cat Who Laughed! Hadn't thought about Mary blushing... hmmm...

:)
deb

[Songbird]

Good answer!
And I love your hymn choice. I especially love singing that last verse with its Alleluias.

[Quotidian Grace]

My favorite Advent hymn, too!

[Cathy]

The advent calendar didn't let me go forward either.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence is a beautiful hymn. I love singing it as the Communion hymn.

[Mary Beth]

No, it won't let you go forward....cause today is the first of December. You have to do it ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Waiting and all that stuff. ;)

[Gigi]

I love love love that hymn too... AND it reminded me of "Of the Father's Love Begotten", and my personal favorite, "Now my Tongue the Mystery Telling".
Mmmmmm, Advent! :-)