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In a world that's difficult to make sense of, and a season that's so often overtaken by consumerism, here you'll find heart-stirring illustrations and thought-provoking meditations designed to show you the raw, powerfully sacred story of Christmas in a new light.

Has the joy of the holiday season become painfully dissonant with the hard edges of life? Do you feel weary from the way Christmas has become a polished, predictable brand? You aren't alone. For too many of us, Christmas has lost its wonder. What if we stopped treating the Christmas story as something that happened a long time ago and started believing that it's a story that's still happening today?

Honest Advent creates a space for you to encounter the Incarnate Christ in unexpected places: like a pregnancy announcement in an era of political unrest and empirical bloodshed, the morning sickness of a Middle Eastern teenager, and the shocking biology of birth that goes far beyond the sanitized brand of Christmas as we know it today.

Within the pages of Honest Advent, Erickson teaches us the valuable lessons he's learned about:

  • Finding hope and light in the darkest winters
  • What it means to embrace the unexpected
  • How God uses everyday vulnerability to help us understand ourselves, and our faith, better

Through powerful benedictions, prayers, and questions for honest reflection, you'll discover how the wonder of God-with-Us is still happening today: in your unexpected change of plans, your unaccomplished dreams, your overcrowded lodging, and your humble stories of new beginnings.

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Advent at St. Mark | Monday, 6-7:30pm

We'll share in a potluck meal, discuss the reflection of the day, and pray together. This informal time of gathering and conversation will help us prepare for the sacred mystery of the Incarnation.
  • December 2nd Reflection 2: Light
  • December 9th Reflection 9: Omega
  • December 16th Reflection 16: Father
  • December 23rd Reflection 23: Attention

Books are $10.00 and can be purchased from the church office. Sign up in the Narthex or by emailing the church office if you'd like to participate so we know how many books to order!

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From the Pastor