WAITING RITUALS FOR ADVENT

Last Advent we created a ‘waiting room’ for people to wait in before service began.  Each week the waiting room had a different take on the theme of waiting and created a different opportunity for praying.  Feel free to use these ideas with creativity in your own context.

ADVENT ONE – WAITING FOR ALARM
[In the center of the waiting room there is a table artfully piled high with various alarm clocks which are all set to the same time—and set to go off at seven minutes after service is scheduled to start.  After the alarms sound we are invited into the back half of the house.]

“Welcome to Advent.  This is a season of waiting:

waiting for promises to be kept,

waiting for things to be made right,

waiting for Christ to come to us.

And this is your waiting room.  Tonight we gather here as sleep walkers, waiting to be awakened by God’s Spirit.  When these alarm clocks go off we’ll know it’s time to enter the sanctuary.  But while you wait you are welcome to write prayers of waking here at this table: what needs to be ‘woken up’ in the world, in the church, in you?

ADVENT TWO – WAITING FOR YOUR NUMBER

['Muzak' is playing and couches are configured in rows and bookended by coffee tables- per a generic waiting room.  People are given a random number when they arrive.]

“Welcome to week two of Advent -the season of waiting for God, and this is literally our waiting room.  Everyone will receive a number and will be called in to the sanctuary when your number is called.  Each week we explore a different aspect of waiting, and this week is turning.  So while you wait you are invited to write your prayers of turning here:

what is God calling you to turn from?

what is God calling you to turn to?

Your prayers will be prayed anonymously later on in the service.  So, we are glad you are here, and wait your turn.”

ADVENT THREE – WAITING FOR REPLY
[A laptop is set-up in the center of the waiting room and be set up to receive emails to 'God' for people to send prayers of expecting.]

“Welcome to Advent.  We are now three-fourths of the way through the season of Advent.  And it is here that we learn how to wait, here in the waiting room.  Advent reminds us that we are expecting someone.  We have expectations, some that we are aware of and some not.  We’ve set up a lap top here for you to prayer your prayers of expecting to God, and we’ve even set-up an email account for you, God’s Beloved.  Compose and send your prayers here and we will wait together for God’s reply.  You should know that these prayers will be annonomously offered later in the service.”  (You can project these email prayers on a central screen and allow the Gospel reading, or the Eucharist to be a God’s reply.)

ADVENT FOUR – WAITING FOR GIFT
[Baby sounds are playing with music and a tv monitor in the center of the waiting room is playing an ultrasound.  People are given a cigars, candy or otherwise - as a symbol of celebration.]

“Welcome to Advent.  This is the fourth advent and what we’ve been waiting for is now in sight.  Tonight we explore what it means to receive what we’ve been waiting for.  For many of us receiving is the difficult part, not the waiting.  In a few minutes everyone will be invited into the sanctuary, but before that you are welcome to make prayers of receiving:

what do you hope to receive tonight?

this week or this new year?

Then wrap your prayers in gift wrap-paper and hold on to them.  Keep them with you through the service.  Later you will have an opportunity for them to be voiced.” (“Gift” prayers are later exchanged, unwrapped and prayed)

*OPTION: You could replace any of these waiting rituals with a big pot of water on an independant heating element.  Gather people around the pot and build anticipation for boiling.  Once it boils lead people into the sanctuary.