TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS
TEACH US TO
NUMBER OUR DAYS
A LITURGICAL ADVENT CALENDAR
Barbara Dee Baumgarten
Copyright © 1999 by Barbara Dee Baumgarten
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright © 1946, 1951, 1971, 1973, are used by permission.
Additional Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright © 1979, 1980 and 1982 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee.
Symbol 33 is the logo for The Catholic Worker, designed in 1935 and revised in 1985 by Ade Bethune. Used by permission.
The hymn “Phos Hilarion” and the canticles “Surge, llluminare” and “The Magnificat” are from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of the Episcopal Church, as adapted into inclusive language by the Community of St. Francis in its CSF Office Book, copyright © 1996, San Francisco, California. Used by permission.
The meditation attributed to St. Ambrose is from Lesser Feasts and Fasts 1991, copyright © by the Church Pension Fund of the Episcopal Church. Used by permission.
The Collect for the Third Sunday after Easter (Christmas Eve prayer) and the Collect for the Holy Innocents are from A New Zealand Prayer Book, He Karakia Mihinare Aotearoa, copyright © 1989 by the Church of the Province of New Zealand. Used by permission.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baumgarten, Barbara Dee Bennett, 1955-
Teach us to number our days: a liturgical Advent calendar/Barbara Dee Baumgarten,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8192-1765-3
1. Advent. 2. Advent calendars. 3. Handicraft—Religious aspects—Christianity.
I.Title.
BV40.B385 1999
| 263’.912—dc21 | 99-30559 |
| CIP |
Printed in the United States of America
For Bill
CONTENTS
Chapter 1. The Advent Calendar
How to Choose the Symbols for Your Calendar
Chapter 2. A Historical Overview of Advent
The Biblical Foundation of Advent Themes: Hope for Christ’s Coming
The Key Figures of Advent: Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist
Chapter 4. Changing Dates of Advent and Their Symbols
Chapter 5. Fixed Observations during Advent and Their Symbols
November 27-December 16: Advent Watchers and Holy Ones
December 17-23: The Great ‘O’ Antiphons of Advent
December 24-28: Christmas Eve and Christmas Days
Chapter 6. Traditional and Personal Symbols and Events during Advent
Chapter 7. Creating Paper-Version and Junk-Mail Calendars for Celebrating Advent
Chapter 8. A Felt No-Sew Variation
Chapter 9. The Fabric Calendar
Chapter 10. Symbols, Letters and Numbers for the Advent Calendar
Symbol Key and Cross-Reference
Symbol Keys to Cover Calendars
PREFACE
“The problem with the Advent calendar is that it rarely matches, in length, the Advent season. I challenge you to make a calendar to fit the actual days of Advent,” ventured my husband eighteen years ago.
The