I’m fairly new to Advent after spending most of my faith life in an evangelical tradition that seemed to be allergic to the church calendar. My sense is that this season before Christmas means many things to many people, what with the candles for hope, peace, joy, and love, themes related to apocalypticism and John the Baptist, an emphasis on waiting and preparation, and seasonal hymns, wreaths, trees, and calendars.
Some of these facets of Advent might feel a little tender this year after a tumultuous US presidential election. We have some great new articles that explore the collision of this season and this moment. Heidi Neumark describes Advent lessons she gleaned while living in a squatters’ camp in Argentina. Jack Holloway makes the case that heavy metal music is apocalyptic, prophetic, and timely. Valerie Weaver-Zercher reflects on the nature of endurance in discouraging times.
Our video of the week features Tony Tian-Ren Lin, who offers an immigrant’s perspective on the precarious nature of democracy in the US and what we can do about it. Plus scroll down for more great new content.
“The Advent and Christmas readings tell us to look for signs. These might come in apocalyptic upheavals that shake the earth with terror and glory, but also in ordinary places—a fig tree sprouting leaves, a baby, a swaddling cloth, a manger.”
“Heavy metal is no savior, but the genre’s apocalypticism helped shake me out of complacency. It estranged me from the meager half-measures offered by the powers that be and radicalized my sense of what is possible.”
“It’s as if the writer of Ecclesiastes has been scrolling on my phone, too, wearying himself with the social media posts about what we’re all supposed to be doing in these days after the election.”
