Dear Everyone,
I wish everyone who is celebrating a Blessed Advent. Today, I am embarking on the first day of the Advent Readalong, with the first reading from Jane Williams’ book, “The Art of Advent: A Painting a Day from Advent to Epiphany.” I hope you will join me.
Today’s painting is “The Ancient of Days,” which was painted by William Blake in 1793. It’s an unusual painting and Jane Williams provides an excellent commentary on its surprising features. You can see the painting and discover more about it here.
In her commentary, Williams reminds us of the juxtaposition of light and darkness and the many emotions we encounter as we look forward to Christmas. There’s much to reflect on in this paper, and Williams assists us by providing reflection questions, along with a prayer. I was struck by her emphasis on the intelligibility of the universe – an intelligibility “built in” by God, so to speak. And that intelligibility can be seen in nature, in mathematics, in science, architecture, music, literature, etc. God wishes to be known and that profound truth is one worth considering.
As we begin our collective journey through advent, I invite you to read along with me. We’ll read one reading per day, following the book, until the final reading on Epiphany. I’ll post reflections from time to time, and I invite you to comment on these posts at any time with your own reflections. Leslie and Pam have graciously invited us to join their podcast chatroom for an Advent chat. I’ll post details of that date and time soon.
It isn’t too late to join the readalong. The book is available as a paperback and as an ebook. You can join at any time.
Thank you for reading. I am grateful for your companionship on this journey.
SR
I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {