To continue our Advent series, we welcome author Tsh Oxenreider to the podcast to share about experiencing the season with simplicity and through our senses.

• Shadow and Light: A Journey Into Advent by Tsh Oxenreider
• At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider
• “The liturgical calendar is one of the oldest and most global rhythms that is given to us as a gift to live and lean into the seasons.  It helps align my concept of time with something beyond myself.”
• “There is something about the practices of Advent that are a literal darkness into light.”
• “Light has come, yet it’s not fully light yet, and so we wait in the middle. That’s what Advent draws us to.”
• Jose y Maria Modern-Day Nativity
• “We’re all longing for something. We’re all waiting for something, and it’s worth waiting for. It’s okay to delay.”
• “Liturgy reminds us that we’re physical and not just mental. It’s very easy to keep our spiritual lives in our heads. Liturgy invites us to remember that we are mortal and that we are here on earth among other people. To me, the senses are almost an ideal way to remember the fullness of the faith.”
• “Invoking the senses is a permission slip to give people to actually just realize how simple Advent really is. It does not have to be one more thing to do.”
• “By keeping Advent slower and simpler, it means 12 Days of Christmas is so much more enjoyable.”
• “The great cloud of witnesses that we get to live among here on earth reminds us that we are not alone, and therefore that means that we don’t need to always be conjuring up and seeking out our own significance. We’re not meant to make a name for ourselves; life is not about us.”
• Psalm 40:1-3

Advent Theme: Love
Revised Common Lectionary: Micah 5:2-5

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Anticipating a move in the new year
• Heather: The Porter’s Gate “Advent Songs” Album
• Tsh: Daily walks

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]
Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast 
Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/