I was excited to receive an invitation this summer to write a meditation for #AdventWord2020. If you’re not familiar with #AdventWord, it is a simple and interactive (if you want) way to engage in reflection on the Advent Sunday lectionary readings via one word a day throughout the Season of Advent. Today marks the first Sunday of Advent – a day we hear words from the prophet Isaiah and light one candle on the Advent wreath. We await, with expectation, for the birth of Christ – Emmanuel: God is with us. And in this “Year of the Pandemic,” Advent will be filled with more expectation perhaps than usual as we look for the light at the end of this long, long darkness we have been in since March.

AdventWord provides visual and written meditations during the liturgical season of Advent. The written meditations are provided in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and in American Sign Language on YouTube. Each morning during Advent, the meditations are distributed: on AdventWord.org, Email, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  You can subscribe and receive the meditation each day at AdventWord.org. You can also listen to reflections on the podcast

Today’s meditation is from The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Today’s word is #tender, and he shares his reflection on how this word is connected to today’s readings. The word “tender” reminds me of my granddaughter and how tender and loving she is to the chickens she raises (along with my daughter and son-in-law). She calls them each by name and they know the sound of her voice. She has picked them up and held them since they were chicks, so they are accustomed to her petting and cuddling with them. What does #tender mean to you?

Around the world, prayers ascend in response to the meditations. People post their reflections on their respective social media pages, tagging AdventWord on the platform. From there, AdventWord shares and reposts on each site – amplifying the prayers during this holy season. Find the social feed on AdventWord’s website, or on your favorite social media platform. 

Sacred Ordinary Days has created a playlist of Advent hymns on Spotify. Or you can find the AdventWord podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, and others. 

Each day I will be posting my visual reflections on Rows of Sharon Facebook and Instagram pages. On December 7 my reflection regarding #comfort will be posted as the #AdventWord of the day. Explore the different ways that people respond to the daily words, whether written meditations, drawings, photographs, or poems.

Header Photo by Sandra Grünewald on Unsplash