This guided retreat is intended to provide space to resist the busyness of the holiday season and to pay close attention to how God is at work around us during the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

“The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Genesis 1:2, 3).

The season of Advent is an extraordinary gift of the Church to the world. Advent is much more than a countdown to Christmas. It is a season of acknowledging the darkness all around us and encouraging one another that God’s light is coming.

Advent is for everyone singing Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” in their loneliest places.

While all the retail stores insist that we purchase one more present and pundits talk about a “War on Christmas,” the darkest night of the year approaches. God is up to something—something so much more meaningful than the busyness of the holiday season.

You are invited to spend a Saturday in the quiet spaces of the Abbey—to listen, to be still, to rest, to be refreshed, to simply be.

We will also be having some guided conversations and lectio divina related to God’s story and the dramatic twist that Advent and Christmas mean to what God is doing in our communities.

Advent is for remembering that everything is going to be okay in the end, and if everything is not okay, then it’s not yet the end.

A catered lunch will be provided.

Cost is $99.

You are welcome to bring a Bible, a journal, and something to write with.