This Advent, we are reveling in and appreciating the season of darkness. So often, the theme of Advent is seen as “waiting for the light,” as if light is the only bringer of joy and peace.
The metaphor of returning light is lovely and comforting, especially to those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere. But we lose something precious when light is always equated with goodness, and darkness as forever something to avoid.
In addition, Black liberation and womanist theologians have much to teach us about the ways in which our faith tradition has abused the spiritual binary of light and dark to perpetuate white supremacist thinking. This Advent we will learn from them and learn from the dark as we sink into the theme of Luminous Darkness.
Starry Black Night Advent Devotional
To assist in this learning, our Advent Devotional is “Starry Black Night,” an Advent devotional exclusively featuring the voices of womanist theologians.
Womanism is a lens on the world that emanates from the life experiences of black women, with the dual oppression of sexism and racism. Applied to Christian theology, womanists help us read our sacred text from the view of the margins, revealing God’s word in new ways.
This devotional was published two years ago, in the depths of covid and the racial uprising of 2020, but many of its themes are relevant for today.
You can access the devotional two ways:
- Download the pdf here, and then print it at home or read it online.
Advent and Christmas Services
Nov 28th, Advent One, Hope.
We are so grateful to Jayne Peterson for beginning this season by sharing her deeply thoughtful message, “Darkness as Hope, Life Force, and Connection.”
