THE ADVENT PROJECT 
A lovely December tradition practiced around the globe by families with young children is the daily opening of the Advent calendar. The roots of this tradition date back to German Lutherans who in the late 1800s created homemade calendars for their children as a potent reminder that the miraculous events of the Nativity were daily unfolding before them as Christ’s coming as a babe in the manger grew near.

Advent calendars come in all sizes and shapes. They can be purchased at the 99 Cent Store or at exclusive import shops.  These calendars contain little perforated windows or doors, one for each day of the Advent season. The best Advent calendars also include chocolate morsels hidden inside the windows, an additional attraction to eager boys and girls who can hardly wait for Christmas morning to arrive.

Imagine a deluxe Advent Calendar, not stuffed with plain milk chocolate but filled with a lavish assortment of unusual flavors and confections, procured from a premier chocolatier. The discerning palette would surely welcome such delicacies, but for some of us certain pieces would no doubt be too strange for our taste buds to fully appreciate. Similarly, the Advent Project brings together a wide variety of musical and artistic styles. There may be compositions that some might find difficult to embrace at first. However, these pieces have been carefully selected to complement one another and ultimately to create a rich meditative tapestry of prayerful thought, vision and sound. 

For centuries artists of all persuasions have been inspired by themes relating to Advent and Christmastide. Indeed for centuries, images and musical scores related directly to the Christian church year made up the bulk of the canon of the western arts. The Advent Project features works of art and music from the span of church history. Included are some of the most ancient Christmas hymns and one of the earliest known portraits of Christ from the 6th Century. On the other hand, lyrics and tunes that have recently been composed as well as pieces of visual art that have been completed in the last few years are featured. A wide range of styles and aesthetic stances--from the classical strains of Handel's Messiah to the haunting lament of Odetta's Poor Little Jesus Boy--from Maja Lisa Englehart's abstract portrait of Christ to Bill Viola's video installation of Elizabeth greeting Mary, make The Advent Project and its co-mingling of the familiar and new, continual unfolding surprise! 

The Advent Project is in essence an Advent calendar for grownups. The calendar starts on the first day of Advent, December 1, 2013, and continues through Epiphany, January 6, 2014. There are 37 days to discover. Each entry containing a portion of scripture, a devotional written by a member of the Biola community, a work of visual art or a short video, and a piece of music for listening. Week 1, December 1-7, focuses on the Incarnation of Christ. Week 2, December 8-14, looks at prophetic passages of scripture surrounding the coming of Christ. Week 3, December 15-21, deals with the Annunciation and Visitation. Week 4, December 22-28, emphasizes the wonderful accounts of Christ's birth, while week 5, December 29-January 6, recalls events surrounding Epiphany. Each daily devotional tells part of the story but together all 37 days offer a rich and compelling panorama that is unforgettable. We encourage you to join us for the next five weeks as we journey with the angels and prophets; Zechariah and Elizabeth; Mary and Joseph; the shepherds and wise men; Anna and Simeon--our forbearers in the faith, as we remember the mystery of the Word made flesh and bring our worship and praise to the Christ of Christmas.

LORD, At the end of the year, in the winter dark, the days bleak and the times troubled, Christmas rises once again like a star.  We beseech thee, O gracious Lord , let our hearts be enlightened by the holy radiance of Thy son's incarnation; that so we may escape the darkness of this world and by His guidance attain to the country of everlasting clearness, that in the light and joy of Christmas we may see it shining now. It is the hope of us all.