Meditation Services Add Meaning to Advent;
Plympton Church Helps People Remember that ‘Jesus is the Reason for the Season’
 With Epiphany in a few days, the busiest time of the year is almost over. There may be a few pine needles stuck in the corner of the rug and one last gift that hasn’t been delivered, but for the most part the family get-togethers are over, the parties have ended, the Yankee gifts have been swapped, and everyone is back into the winter work routine.
But before the season kicked in, the Advisory Board of the First Congregational Church in Plympton, UCC, took some steps to ensure that the holy meaning of the season did not get lost in its busyness. First, all meetings in December were canceled; anything of crucial importance was accomplished by emails. The cancellation of meetings was an attempt to model not just to the church boards but to the whole church community (as leaders) that it is important to balance the busyness of the secular part of Christmas with an intentional focus on the sacred meaning of the season, including prayer and reflection.
Then the Wednesday evenings of December were devoted to Advent meditation. On those evenings, the church was opened for a time of prayer and meditation led by the pastor, Mary Donnellan.
“It's a very unstructured time of quiet,” said Donnellan.
The lights are dimmed and soft Christmas music plays in the background. As people enter they are invited to light a candle as a symbol of the light of Christ coming again into the world and into their hearts during the holy season. Then they are directed to sit anywhere they feel would be comfortable for their quiet reflection. There is a short opening prayer followed by some soft Advent music and a time for meditation. At the end of the service those present are invited to come to the front of the church -- where the lit candles are arranged -- and join together with an ending prayer. Each person is invited to take a candle home to serve as a reminder of quiet prayer time.
Those who attended the Advent Meditation considered the evenings to be very meaningful to their celebration of Christmas. Church member Joanne Guilfoy thought it was a peaceful and reflective experience, and she was happy she made the time to participate. Ken and Denise Brack wrote: “Sometimes it's hard to catch one's breath during the holiday season, or more to the point, to hold up what's most important in our spiritual lives, and make time for solace, remembering and truly giving. The meditation service provided an anchor or a window to do this. This year, especially after several rambling weeks, we looked forward to that quiet, reflective time.”
“The half hour a week helps me to remember the spiritual side of Christmas,” explained Gail Horsefield. “It's one of my favorite services in the year.”
To get the word out to the busy membership, Donnellan posted the event in the church bulletin as well as wrote about it in the newsletter that goes out to 200 people. “We will be more intentional next year in reaching out to the community through the signboard on the main road, the local cable station and the local newspaper,” said Donnellan.
“For me it's one of the most meaningful times of the year,” explained Donnellan. “And gives me some quiet time to focus on the real meaning of the season.”
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