Greening Advent

1 All earth is waiting to see the Promised One,
and open furrows await the seed of God. 
All the world, bound and struggling, seeks true liberty; 
it cries out for justice and searches for the truth.


4 In lowly stable the Promised One appeared.
Yet, feel that presence throughout the earth today, 
for Christ lives in all Christians and is with us now; 
again, on arriving, Christ brings us liberty.

                                              All Earth is Waiting Voices United 5

It's hard to believe that we're just over a week away from the beginning of the Christian New Year and the season of Advent. Liturgically we choose a different rhythm for our year, beginning with the four weeks during which we prepare ourselves for the first coming of God, in the infant, Jesus, as well as anticipating the return of Christ, however we perceive this.

There are songs and symbols for Advent, although even in congregations which acknowledge the church year there are lots of people who are in a rush to get to Christmas. The Christmas tree is far more important than the Jesse tree, which is a sort of sacred genealogical tree inspired by a passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah. I served congregations which compromised between the two trees, adding symbols to both through Advent. 

I see that the Presbyterians for Earth Care in the United States, a fine organization (organism?) have produced an Advent Devotional for this year which is downright arboreal. In the introduction they refer to the work of a forest ecologist at the University of British Columbia, Suzanne Simard. Some snooping reveals that she is involved in what's called the Mother Tree Project. Hey, it's hard to have a genealogical tree without a bunch of moms!

The colour for Advent was once purple, because it was a season akin to Lent. Then it was differentiated by moving to blue. I like the idea of having a green Advent as well, not as a replacement but an augmentation of a season in which "all earth is waiting to see the Promised One."

Here is the link to the devotional:

https://presbyearthcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Advent-2019-layout-10.31.19rev-for-print.pdf