What Does Black Friday tell us about Advent? (Not much!)

Advent is a great time to slow down and a take time from our consumer culture out as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We all know that Christmas is grand finale of our consumer calendar, but Advent is the beginning of the church calendar. It's a time to "begin again" and renew our commitment to live into God's economy of abundance, peace and contentment, and step back from the world's economy of scarcity, anxiety and fear. I can think of no greater contrast of those two economies -- those two ways of being in the world -- than Advent and Black Friday. Enjoy! Chris Harris is Canon for Congregational Development at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. His course, “Living Wi$ely” helps people take a deeper look at their relationship with money, stuff and how our spiritual journeys are deeply connected to our journey of generosity. Visit www.stpaulcathedral.org/livingwisely for more information.