Probably my favourite season of the church year is coming up soon. Advent, the four weeks before Christmas where we prepare ourselves for celebrating Jesus’ arrival in our world.

There’s lots to like about Advent (even if you don’t have calendars filled with chocolate). It’s not often we engage deeply in old-fashioned anticipation, these days, and it’s good for the soul.

If you want to get ready to get ready, you may like to have a look at the post I wrote this time last year, Anticipating the Anticipating, which was a bit of a round-up of Advent ideas from me, the rest of the internet, and a bunch of you.

The best thing about Advent these days, for me, is Mark Pierson’s work curating artworks and reflections to guide us through the season. He produces beautiful cards with artworks that carry us through Advent, with matching readings and reflections. He now does them in his role at World Vision New Zealand, but makes them available to others.

Today’s the last day to order them if you want some for yourself (or to send as Christmas cards, if you’re cunning like me): go here.

Last year I blogged through the series, reproducing with permission the artworks, and opening up the art, texts, themes and reflections for discussion here.

So my question is: shall we do that again? Would anyone be interested in following me blog through Advent in Art, and/or contributing a guest blog post yourself? The works will all be online, so you can participate from anywhere in the world.

What do you think? Please let me know. Ta!

You can see the whole series of last year’s Advent in Art posts here, and preview and order this year’s cards here.

It may seem like late notice to mention ordering the cards on the last day orders are open, but I did, ahem, mention it earlier on the Sacraparental Facebook page 🙂

If you didn’t see that update a few days ago, you might like to head there and click ‘Like’! If you have already done that but didn’t spot the note about Advent cards – or don’t see about one update per day from me – there are four ways you can be sure to see all the Sacraparental updates. Head to the Sacraparental Fb page and click the ‘Liked’ button to see the menu. Tick ‘Get Notifications’, tick ‘Show in News Feed,’ tick ‘Settings’ and choose ‘All Updates,’ and if you’re really keen, tick ‘Add to Interest Lists’ – though you will then need to create one if you haven’t already.

Everyone who does any of those things raises Facebook’s opinion of the Sacraparental page and makes it more likely more people will connect with us, so I would really appreciate any action you take, as well as trusting it will make your News Feed more fascinating!

Thanks, team!