The Advent Season in The Christian Community
Cynthia Hindes
In The Christian Community there are nine festival seasons. Just as the earth dresses herself differently in the natural cycle of the year, so does the soul clothe herself differently in the moods of the cycle of the festivals of the year. In each festival season, there are different prayers, readings and colors. The prayers and the colors help tune our souls to harmonize with the time of the year and with God and his angels.
The first festival season is Advent. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word advent means coming or arrival. The Advent festival season helps us prepare our souls for the coming of Christ at Christmas; for Christ, the Coming One, comes again to the prepared soul every Christmas. The Advent mood is one of longing and hope-filled expectation. The prayers speak of hope and development. The vestments are a clear, deep, saturated blue. The blue of Advent inclines us to be soulful, contemplative, and open for the great event that is to come.