While the world tries to rush us into Christmas, decorating the day after Halloween and packing it all up once the gifts are opened on December 25, Advent is a season of preparation that—like our holiday gatherings themselves—takes time and care. Think of the anticipation that comes with hosting loved ones for Christmas dinner: We begin by extending an invitation. We make plans, and as the event draws closer, we begin our preparations. Ultimately, we open the door and welcome our guests, and that is when, finally, we celebrate. Advent should feel the same way, a time to make ready for the long-awaited event of Christ’s birth. In Stay Awhile, pastor Kara Eidson presents a banquet table of inspiration for Advent, including weekly reflections for personal and small group use, brief daily devotions, and ideas to involve the whole congregation. Congregational resources include liturgies, sermon starters, children’s moments, and even a no-rehearsals-needed Christmas pageant.
Kara Eidson has pastored in rural, suburban, and urban settings. She holds a degree in psychology from Missouri State University and an MDiv from Duke Divinity School. After ordination in 2010, Eidson served four years as the United Methodist campus minister at the University of Kansas. She currently pastors two United Methodist congregations in eastern Kansas. Eidson and her husband love spending time tending to their garden with their ten chickens and two goats.