Entering Advent

By Jan Richardson


Crossing the Threshold © Jan L. Richardson

‘Tis the season, almost! I have been busy in the studio, eagerly preparing to open The Advent Door. All year I look forward to this journey through the scriptures, stories, and images that this time of year offers us, and to sharing in your company along the way. I’m sure that, as always, these Advent weeks will pass by too quickly, but I pray that we will find moments to savor and to experience the spaciousness of this season.

As we prepare to set out, I have a smorgasbord of other resources for Advent and Christmas that I am pleased to share with you:

IMAGES ONLINE: Jan Richardson Images enables churches and other communities to download high-resolution files of my artwork for use in worship, education, and other settings. The images are available for $15 each, or you can sign up for an annual subscription, which gives you unlimited downloads for a year (within the Guidelines for Use). To celebrate the approach of Advent, I’m offering a festive discount on annual subscriptions: for just $120, you can sign up for an artful year (regularly $165). The site offers lots of images for Advent, Christmas, and beyond. Visit Subscribe to Jan Richardson Images to sign up. This is a great way to support the ministry of The Advent Door.

BOOKS: My new book, In the Sanctuary of Women, was just published last month. I’ve been delighted to hear from folks who are purchasing it as a gift in this season—for themselves as well as for others. Visit my Books page for more info and to order. (Inscribed copies are available by request.) And please stop by the companion website at sanctuaryofwomen.com, whose features include a Guide for Reading Groups as well as a blog. For a book designed to accompany you through the coming weeks, The Luminous Word: Entering the Mysteries of Advent & Christmas offers artwork and reflections on the sacred texts and themes of the season. Visit Wanton Gospeller Press to find out more about these handmade books. Also, thanks for the inquiries I’ve received about Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas. For an update on the reprint, click here.

CARDS: I have artful greeting cards available for the season; visit Christmas Cards.

ART PRINTS: A great gift for someone else or for your own self. Visit Art Prints, where the available prints include one that gathers together 25 of the images from this blog. Also, all of the images at janrichardsonimages.com are available as prints. (To order prints from that site, go to the desired image and scroll down to “Prints & Products.”)

COOL MUSIC FOR THE SEASON: Check out the post Music and Mystery for some of my favorite tunes that draw me deeper into the season, including a Christmas CD from my amazing singer/songwriter husband, Garrison Doles.

ETC: I send out an occasional e-newsletter that includes a seasonal reflection, artwork, information about current offerings and upcoming events, and whatever else strikes my creative fancy. I would be delighted to include you in my mailing list if you haven’t already subscribed. You can sign up here.

As we cross the threshold into Advent, I wish you blessings and peace.

[This image is the first one I created for The Advent Door when I started this blog three years ago. To use the “Crossing the Threshold” image, please visit this page at janrichardsonimages.com. Your use of janrichardsonimages.com helps make the ministry of The Advent Door possible. Thank you!]

2 Responses to “Entering Advent”

  1. Barb Gwynn Says:

    Jan,
    What a delight to open my email on this snowy day in Idaho, and find your “Where Advent Begins” art and reflection. I took a deep refreahing breath and soaked it in. And what timing! After a typical Monday off, I am back at my desk at Trinity Lutheran, in the early phases of forming a sermon for this first Sunday of Advent. The Internship is going well. “Intense” immersion also applies to me, but I am greatly blessed to be here.

    God’s peace to you. May we both see His glimmer of light! Somehow God manages to squeeze through all the dark perplexities that come with change. Alleluia!

    Barb

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