First Monday of Advent
Originally posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Here we are once again in the rush of the holidays. Thanksgiving was Thursday, and Advent began Sunday. In between was the retail madness of Black Friday, and then there was Saturday.
I googled this particular Saturday and from what I can tell it hasn’t been branded yet. Liturgically, it is the last day of Ordinary Time – the period stretching from Pentecost to Advent – but there are no special observances that go with it. For many people it continued the Thanksgiving celebration, and for others it was just Day 2 of Black Friday with more shopping and the related traffic and hassles. You likely saw some people out in the yard or on the roof hanging lights and putting out decorations.
Since nobody has pinned a marketing name on this day, I might suggest that it be called “Bridge Saturday” because of the way it connects the gratitude of Thanksgiving with the reverent waiting and hope of Advent.
Observing “Bridge Saturday” doesn’t require that we cross an actual bridge, although symbolic actions can be powerful tools for transformation. Rather, the crossing can be as simple as taking time to reflect. As we cross this imaginary bridge, we can pause at the midpoint, lean over the rail, and drop into the muddy water all of the baggage and freight that can slow us down and distract us on our Advent journey.