The season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and concludes on Christmas Eve. It’s a season marked by prayer, fasting, and works of charity. The goal of the season is to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s first advent (on Christmas) by living in such a way that also makes us ready for his second and final advent. Repentance, spiritual discipline, and joyous self-giving should be what occupies us during this season.
As a way to ensure that we take this season seriously, we offer the following pledge to be kept:
Buy less : Give more
Eat less : Pray more
Fear less : Hope more
By committing to these simple maxims, we’ll find that Advent can be experienced in a way that makes our egos decrease and God our Savior increase in our hearts.
In order to practically work out the Advent Pledge, consider:
Not throwing or attending Christmas parties (if that doesn’t impede your charity to others) until Christmas
Not buying a multitude of dispensable gifts that most people don’t really want anyway, and instead writing them thoughtful cards or simply spending quality time with them
Using the money you save from not buying gifts to give to charitable causes
Fasting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays according to our Western Orthodox tradition
Watching, listening to, and reading less news and current affairs, and instead spending more time on hobbies, or taking walks, or improving your home
Increasing your amount of Scripture reading, spiritual reading, and praying
Attending as many services at Church as possible, including weekday Feasts and Saturday Evensong
Make a daily list of things to give thanks for in order to remember that God loves you and the whole world, and that he will appear again in Glory to put right all that is wrong