Welcome to the Advent Reader
Anticipating the Coming King in a Changing Reality
Welcome to the third annual New Leaf Advent Reader. We are so glad you are here with us to journey through Advent while reflecting on change and disruption.
I don’t like change. My husband will confirm that for you. But, to be more precise, I don’t like change that I didn’t initiate. I’m all for changing things that are broken, but I struggle when something I think is perfectly fine is suddenly different. For example, I am more disturbed than I would like to admit by the fact that Google recently changed their logos and now even the little alert logo on my phone to tell me there is an email waiting for me is different. There is no need to change that!!
Okay. Deep breath. I’m okay.
I think it’s partly that I just have so little margin for more disruption this year in particular. It takes energy for me to adjust to something changing that I wanted to just stay put. Small things like my husband rearranged our bookshelves and I could find things. And big things like relationships being put on hold when we can’t see each other face-to-face.
I like it when I can take something that is constant for granted and focus on things that actually need my attention. And I have used so much energy since March making new plans every time the shifting reality of public safety has changed around me. Even the positive changes as restrictions lifted during the summer was stressful for me. When stores opened again I still couldn’t go back to the “before times” and just go on auto-pilot and do a few errands. Everything has been more complicated this year.
In the midst of this complicated year, there have been blessings. One of those blessings has been the way that we have been able to make connections with people all across the country more easily online. Because if you are down the street or across Canada we all went online this year to stay healthy and safe. At New Leaf, we went online at the end of March and we were so happy to find a neighbourhood of friends there! The change and disruption forced our hand to use the technology we had always used for business meetings to start creating a network of learning and support. And we are so grateful for that change because it meant we met so many of you this year!
So as we walk through Advent together, I invited some of these new friends and some friends that have been with us for a while, to reflect on Advent scripture texts from the lectionary and on the theme of change and disruption from their experience and in their context. You will receive these reflections daily in your inbox or you can find them on our website.
As you read, if you think of friends that would be blessed by the Advent Reader, please do share these reflections with them. Let them know where they can sign up!
One of the ways we have been connecting online since the pandemic pushed us online is through our Learning Centre, a weekly interactive Zoom call on a topic with a Canadian voice of wisdom. For the season of Advent, we will be featuring a few of our writers and making space to reflect together on the Advent Reader articles. Join us for the interactive sessions on Thursdays at 1:30 pm (Eastern time) or sign up and view the recordings of the sessions afterwards.
Thank you for journeying with us. We are glad you are here!
Blessings,
Amy Bratton
New Leaf Advent Reader editor
Thank you for reading the New Leaf Advent Reader, a collection of reflections from writers across Canada. If you are enjoying the reader, sign up to receive the readings in your inbox each day here: SIGN UP
And please share this reflection with your friends and family who might also enjoy it.
