Dear Trinity Family,

In C.S. Lewis’s classic book, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, four children, Peter, Susan,

Edmund, and Lucy walked through a wardrobe into a world where it was always winter and never

Christmas. They awaited the coming of Aslan, who would break the White Witch’s spell and allow

spring to return. The ancient Israelites, since the days of David, awaited the coming of a great king

who would be their salvation: the Messiah. We, like the citizens of Narnia, await He who brings

resurrection like springtime. We, like the ancient Israelites, await the coming of our great King and

Savior.

However, unlike both the Narnians and the ancient Israelites, we exist in a middle place. The

Messiah has already come: Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God. He rescued us from sin and

death and then, so that he could gather up all who belong to Him, ascended to Heaven to sit at the

right hand of God the Father. Now, we wait for Him to come back. In this middle place, we

celebrate His coming and long for His return.

For this reason, each year we gather to celebrate Christmas, when the second person of the Trinity

became incarnate as a baby in Bethlehem. In the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we celebrate

the season of Advent. The word advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or

“arrival.” Advent is a season of eager anticipation for the coming of our great King. Each week, we

remember the great gifts offered to us in the person of Jesus: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. These are

not merely gifts given by Christ, but gifts of His very presence with us.

We hope this Advent Box will be a resource for our Trinity family to observe the season of Advent

at home, and to turn our eyes to Christ. Each devotion contains:

• A brief reflection on the theme of each of the Advent candles

• A hymn or carol (Lyrics are in the PDF below and the song videos are posted below)

• Scripture readings

• A poem for reflection

• An art print for reflection

• A Collect, a written prayer, taken from the Book of Common Prayer (2019)

• [If you did not receive a box from the church, the only thing you will need for these devotions are four candles.]

We encourage you to set aside time each week in Advent to go through each of these devotions,

perhaps over a weekend meal. Our prayer is that —by meditating on His Word and adoring His

beauty— your heart, mind and soul might be drawn closer to Christ as we await His coming

together.

In Christ,

Andrew Wininger