The season of Advent begins tomorrow and marks the time when Christians reflect and prepare for the coming of our Lord. Unfortunately, it also marks the beginning of the shopping season; a frenzied and often exhausting time. I think we all feel so much better when we take time to think about, and act upon what Christmas really means for us. Sometimes simple gifts are the best. This allows us some time to really focus on the season itself, the coming of “our savior,” the people in our lives - our family and friends and how much they mean to us.

The Advent wreath is a meaningful and simple way to honor Advent. The Advent wreath is often used in homes, as well as churches. Advent is a time of solemn preparation, and the candles on the wreath are symbols that during this time, we are awaiting the Light of the World, the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you don't have an Advent wreath, that's fine; simply lighting a candle and saying your prayers and spending some quiet time with our Lord will do.

The church calls Advent a season of joyful expectation. It's a season of hope. Advent is also a penitential season, just like Lent. We are called to fast, to pray, and to perform good works to prepare ourselves for the great feast of Christmas. The liturgical color of violet, or purple, symbolizes humility and penitence. This is why the candles of the Advent wreath are purple, with the exception of the third candle, which is rose, or pink. On the third Sunday of Advent, the “mood” lifts as the church begins to look forward to the coming of the Christ child, and this joyful waiting is represented by the lighter color of the candle and vestments. It is only at this time of year that we sing the beautiful hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

St. Alphonsus Church has welcomed everyone to join them for Vespers, which is evening prayer, at 7 p.m. Sunday evenings during Advent. Vespers dates back to at least 530-543 and the rule of St. Benedict; his written guide for his order of monks. His rule included Vespers, and they have remained largely unchanged through the middle ages and right up to the present day. Vespers includes the Magnificat, or the Canticle of Mary, as well as psalms, and also hymns from the sixth century. It is also usually marked by the lighting of candles, which were practical due to the evening hour of prayer, as well as symbolic. This is a wonderful opportunity to truly experience the beauty of the Advent season.

The beginning of Advent is also a time for the Hanging of the Greens. It is a decoration of the church with evergreen wreaths, bows, or trees that help to symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus Christ.

Some churches have a special weekday service, or the first Sunday morning or evening of Advent, in which the church is decorated and the Advent wreath put in place. This service is most often primarily of music, especially choir and hand bells, and scripture reading, along with an explanation of the various symbols as they are placed in the sanctuary.

St. Luke's United Church of Christ will mark the beginning of the Advent season with the Hanging of the Greens, tomorrow, at 10 a.m. Nov. 27. Everyone is welcome to stay after services to help decorate the church for the Advent and Christmas season. St. Luke's will also have a “mitten tree” in the narthex from Sunday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 18. On the mitten tree they collect donations of hats, mittens and gloves which will be given to the Salvation Army for distribution. This is a beautiful, practical and a simple gesture of kindness during this blessed season.

The Westminster Presbyterian Church will honor the beginning of Advent tomorrow as they present the prophecy banner and light the first candle on the Advent wreath. Also, the church family Christmas tree will be in the sanctuary and members and friends are invited to bring an ornament for the tree to represent yourself or your family. Ornaments will be hung as they sing the hymn following the sermon.

New ornaments are welcome every year - from families and individuals who have brought them before, and also from anyone who would like to add to the tree for the first time. The family tree represents their life together as a church family. This is a very thoughtful and meaningful way to begin Advent.

I was very fortunate to attend the Sacrament of Confirmation for some of our local youth on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at St. Mary's Church in Auburn. Special congratulations to Kristen D'Alberto and Brendan King, along with all of the children who made their confirmation. We are so very proud of you all. Rev. Laird administered the Sacrament of Confirmation, which was very fitting as he grew up in St. Mary's Church and could even showed us where he sat when he made his Confirmation! I cannot say enough about the beautiful job he did speaking to our teens. His message may be the most important one they will ever receive. He told them, for the rest of your life, if you do nothing else, set aside 15 minutes each day for prayer. He said, I don't mean just saying prayers, although that is always a good place to start. He said turn off your I-pods and cell phones for just 15 minutes each day and be alone with Jesus and get to know him. He promised them that this simple act will change their lives forever.

Laird believes a lack of a prayer life to be the source of so many troubles for people today. Many people do not really know Jesus. I remember the Rev. Dennis Shaw also conveying this to us just recently in a sermon. He said that to believe in God and say your prayers is always good and important; but it's not enough. The next step is that we must get to know Jesus, and the place this happens is in the silence of our hearts.

Have a beautiful first week of Advent. Remember, God loves you so much.

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” -- St. James

Denise Bennett is a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Auburn. She can be reached at deniseb132@yahoo.com