First Sunday of Advent

The Rev. Emily Boring The sermon uses Mary Oliver’s poem about the world descending into winter “rich mash” to explore how loss, darkness, and stillness are not endings but the ground of renewal. While nature’s cycles teach this intuitively, trusting the same process within our inner lives—especially during Advent—can be frightening. Stillness can uncover unprocessed grief or desired changes we’ve avoided. Though the Advent gospel speaks of upheaval and the unknown timing of Christ’s return, it reassures us in three ways: Christ meets us amid ordinary life; faith requires surrender rather than control; and in God, every ending becomes the seed of a beginning. Resurrection is a pattern that shapes all creation. Advent invites us to enter our “inner winter” with trust—slowing down, keeping awake, and attending to hidden truths—supported by Scripture, liturgy, and poetry. The sermon ends with Oliver’s reminder that the vigor of what was is connected to the vitality of what will be.