Every day through Advent 2024 I shared a painting and poem following my A to Z of Advent related words. As you will be able to see below, I didn't think through the words in advance and so some of the daily words were challenging to say the least.
I hope you find this interesting to read and perhaps it inspires you to do similar next Advent.
One line a day prayer:
This Christmas we pray
Jesus, baby born to bless the world
May the angels bring peace
Give us courage to ask for help in times of need
Help us dwell in your constant presence
Encourage us to think of others before ourselves
Inspire us to give, as Frankincense was given
May your grace fill our hearts
We look to you for glimmers of hope
That everyone will find a warm bed tonight
Praying for your kingdom to come on Earth
Bless us with your love and light
Help us be as loving as Mary following your command to love one another
Singing your praises this Noel
Help us appreciate every ordinary day
Praise God in her goodness
In the quiet of the night or the noise of the day we pray
Show us the hope in which we can rejoice
Help us care for each other as shepherds care for their flock
Just as stars twinkle, may your hope light the dark
Bring the unseen into your light of love
Help us embrace each day in a fresh new way
As we grow wise in your ways we pray
May your yoke be light so we can find rest in your love
As together we pray for peace across the world this day and always
Amen
…
Advent Day 1: angels
Advent angels
Bring joy to all weighed down with pain
Whilst kindness descends on snowflakes
Blanketing humanity with holiness
Warming cold souls with love
…
Advent Day 2: baby
Baby born to bless the world
Reminding those who were separated
That there's no punishment of love
Only forgiveness and compromise
It's the perfect time to gather together
Geographically or across the ether
Restoring lost connections
Despite our human imperfections
We may not meet around a fireplace
But when we gather face to face
Online or in a closer place
We thread our hearts delicate as lace
…
Advent Day 3: courage
The forests will be forever evergreen
Filled with the wide eyed beauty of nocturnal animals
Bluebells reflect the bounty of the sky through lush canopies
Embodying the courage to call for help
Then, in the silence of short winter days, snow dances
Spiriting fears away with nature's rhythm
…
Advent Day 4: Dwell
In the quiet silence of twilight's descent
We dwell in the moment of unseen possibilities
Listening intently to the whispers of the world
Where every scent is an invitation to believe
Whispers dance on the frozen air
A gentle breath amidst relaxing sighs
Blessing tomorrow with yesterday’s grace
We light new beginnings in darkening skies
When storms close in and shadows loom long
The path grows dim beneath drifting snow
Hand in hand we write our future songs
Exploring forgotten tales of long ago
Don't suffer alone on long lonely nights
Open your heart as a beacon bright
Embrace each moment without a fight
For even in darkness you will find a light
…
Advent Day 5: encourage
Encourage others to think beyond themselves
Finding pleasure in glades of imagination
Rather than consumerism
Remember the joy of simplicity
Paper garlands and wooden puzzles
Passed down through generations
Appreciate vulnerability
Endangered wild cats no longer roam in ancient forests
Small changes can bring us back from the brink
Trust in change
Tiny miracles by many individuals
May result in huge benefits to the world as a whole
Unwrap yourself from regrets
You didn't jinx joy
You merely struggled to see the light through the ashes
Restart your dreams
Keep alive your wishes
Knowing that serendipity may discover silver
Warm your heart
Bring light into the dark places you have locked away
Believing you can love again
…
Advent Day 6: Frankincense
In winter sleet smile
Notice positivity
Marvel at wonders
Glimmers, blessings and prayers
Gingerbread houses made by families
Lights on trees spreading goodwill in community
All these things are precious gifts
Modern day versions of Frankincense and Myrrh
…
Advent Day 7: Grace
In a cottage where kindness does dwell
Snowflakes whisper their soft snowy spell
Grace wraps the trees tight
As day fades to night
In this haven of warmth oh so well
…
Advent Day 8: Hope
Snow silences glacial tears
Releasing chains of sorrow
The softest surrender
Hope is uncovered with help
Together we live better
...
Advent Day 9: Inn
Whilst walking through a snowy scene
I notice lights through windows clean
Closer, I take a furtive look
My heart leaps to see a readers nook
I could walk away but I quickly start
When I spy a beautiful piece of art
Heading to the door, I hope and pray
That there's room in the inn for me today
Inside I'm welcomed by a smiling face
This is tonight's perfect resting place
...
Advent Day 10: joy
Journeying deeply
Listening into the earth
I go with fresh joy
Connecting prayerfully
Knowing God's grace is with me
...
Advent Day 11: Kingdom
We have severed relations
Created artificial barriers
Between ourselves and the world
Is there a space
Within chronicled time
Which heals the natural connection
Must we wander labyrinthine paths
To reconnect with the heart of the world
Or is it possible to find...
A lagoon of elixir
Where gossamer souls rest
Recuperate
Regenerate
A forest of forgiveness
Where dead blooms rejuvenate
Wrestling truth from lies
A mountain of music
Where requiems for artists sing
Assisting mutilated muses to heal
A sea of stars
Where wayfarer's wisdom is revealed
Reflecting Aurora eyes
A kingdom of kindness
Where judgment is set aside
Revealing vulnerable peace
There is an opportunity
Imaginatively
Scientifically
Faithfully
Carefully and mindfully
If we accept God's call to be
Caretakers of nature's maturity
Beyond mere humanity
…
Advent Day 12: light
All the birds of the wood celebrate
As a shaft of light births mirth and jollity
The running of the deer promise new connections
In this fresh hope of a new year
Cold camellias grow on pine bark
Whilst bells ring where the witch hazel grows
Snowdrops bloom watered by winter jasmine tea
As Holly wreaths inked by blackberries shine
Juniper candles light fresh cypress forests
Until spruce shoots bathe in the snowy sun
…
Advent Day 13: Mary
Dawn delivers hope
A smile of miracles
Mary notices
Mary notices
Dusk skies blushing at the moon
Pure angelic light
Pure angelic light
Warms fragile cold souls enough
Dawn delivers hope
…
Advent Day 14: Noel
Goodness of Noel
Hope reflected in snowglobes
Candlelight and stars
Sharing truth without fear
Offering peace upon Earth
…
Advent Day 15: ordinary
Clinging to mistletoe memories in twilight's bling
Driftwood hearts sway with whispers of the past
Gossamer threads quilt tales that softly sing
Into shadows below the brightness cast
Interstellar dreams create a home for the hurt
Whilst blue topaz glimmers within night's dark veils
Each spark worthy of time’s gentle alert
Dancing in reflections where the ordinary prevails
The dawn is thick with laughter and sighs heaven sent
Cradling fear in corners left longing for night
Yet hopeful skies smell like roses' pure scent
As darkness is softened with love's new light
Here we sit quietly beneath branches adorned
Bathed with peace from moments reborn
…
Advent Day 16: praise
Sleepy songbirds
Sing the winter blues
Lit by frozen moonbeams
Repairing snowy wishes
In crystalline towers
Melting away winter worries
On evergreen mornings
They light fires of love
Thawing frigid hearts
Signalling an end to longing
As they praise the first glimpses of spring
…
Advent Day 17: quiet
In life there are points of decision
Places of inspection
Moments of reflection
When you stop and wonder
Which way am I meant to go
At this contradicting crossroads
Then, in the quiet of your heart
You hear a still small voice
Magnifying invisible signs
Leading you to better times
Which one day you will look back on
With tremendous thanks
...
Advent Day 18: rejoice
Rejoice rejoice
The sun will shine each day a little more
Oh blessed light
Rejoice rejoice
No longer will we suffer in darkness
Hope will shine at night
...
Advent Day 19: shepherds
Notice the needy
Shepherd everyone with love
Reflecting God's grace
…
Advent Day 20: twinkle
Hope twinkles daily
In hearts, minds, souls and hands
Offered openly
…
Advent Day 21: unseen
Unseen
Unknown
Unappreciated
Unrecognisable
Unshakable
Unladen
Unified
Where are you on this uncharted scale of universal love?
…
Advent Day 22: Virgin
Journey together
Through this virgin life with grace
Paint your own picture
…
Advent Day 23: wisdom
Find wisdom in love
Freedom in understanding
Forgiveness in peace
Trusting even in dark days
That there will be light again
…
Advent Day 24: yoke
Ode to a Sanctified Place
In the hush of twilight
Where shadows cradle dreams
We wonder recklessly
Whispers echo secrets
Truth nestling softly between lines of lies
A quilt created with threads of silence
Here we discover heaven
If only for a moment
Patient and quiet like breath held in prayer
Out of sight but never out of mind
The sanctum hums
A heartbeat hidden beneath the noise
Yet love drowns in betrayals
Every promise dripping like rain on parched earth
A yoke of dust and regret
Until this sacred space swells with possibility
Embracing both solace and ache
A reminder that hearts find refuge under stars
Let us linger here amidst shadowed grace
Where every sigh carries weight
Where every tear plants seeds for tomorrow
An ode etched in fleeting moments
As ephemeral as whispered prayers
Yearning for sanctity reborn from ashes
…
Christmas Day: Zechariah
Sing in thanks as Zechariah sang
A saviour is born this day
Jesus Christ our Lord will reign
He will shine a light into the darkness
Guiding our feet on the path of peace
Bringing love to a world in need
…
Here is the list of words I wrote against through Advent 2024
Angels
Baby
Courage
Dwell
Encourage
Frankincense
Grace
Hope
Inn
Joy
Kingdom
Light
Mary
Noel
Ordinary
Praise
Quiet
Rejoice
Shepherds
Twinkle
Unseen
Virgin
Wisdom
Yoke
Zechariah
If for any reason the paintings are not showing in this post, you can find them in this Advent 24 Google album
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