Gathering to Write – for Advent

Thanks to Lauren Graber for sharing this Great Idea in her Building Faith post.

Lauren Graber writes, “Writing is a way of paying close attention to our lives. Finding just the right words to describe our thoughts, emotions, and experiences can be an act of holy gratitude and a way of opening ourselves to God’s ongoing work within us. When we write alongside others and share some of the words we’ve found, we build trust and community among ourselves.”

Writing for Advent – or any time of the year – can be a beautiful multigenerational bonding practice. It is not merely an ‘activity’ or a ‘program’: it is a discipline, an art, storytelling, and spiritual work that results in spiritual growth and deeper community bonds.

The practice can be adapted to any biblical text, requires very minimal leadership (though in adaptive settings, leading questions will need to be created), and only writing utensils and paper (journals would be ideal). Depending upon attention spans, you might include pre-writers who could participate by drawing or doodling. Encourage writing as people are able, though, as Graber highlights how ‘searching for the right word’ is part of the practice.

Read the full post here.

Download the free Gathering to Write prompts here.