Advent Conversations — Spring Church

Hey everyone! This blog belongs to the “Advent Series” that’ll run from December 1st to January 19th. In this series of fictional short stories, I’ll be writing from different points of view, exploring how folks from various walks of life—from college grads to business executives to those in recovery—articulate why the meaning of Christmas, “God is with us,” matters to the people they come across. Through these fictional stories, I’ll be engaging with examples of how to have conversations (or not) about Advent in a variety of scenarios. Enjoy!

Angelina tapped her fingers, red with cold, against her paper ledger. The top read Farmer’s Market Sales, 11/29. Underneath it only two things were listed. Pendant necklace and heart earrings.

The rest of the silver jewelry in Angelina’s booth shimmered in the golden light of the falling sun. Soon, it would slip over the downtown buildings and vanish, leaving Angelina and the rest of the vendors shivering against the encroaching night. She rubbed her hands together but couldn’t stop looking at the ledger. She’d really hoped to get at least ten sales today. Selling only two pieces didn’t even cover the fees to set up her booth.

She sighed, tucking the blanket around her legs tighter. She shook her black hair so it fell around her shoulders. The season was ending, and she had little to show for it. She thought her handmade jewelry was beautiful—carefully stamped pendants, twisted earrings, semi-precious stones wound into bracelets and rings. All of her friends said how much they like them. Her mother said she needed to find a real career before she turned 30. Angelina had promised she’d give up her art if she wasn’t making enough money by then.

She was turning 30 in four months.

The bell sounded from somewhere off to her right. On cue, the vendors around her started packing up. There was no one left on the streets anyway. Farmers tucking now-wilted vegetables away, beekeepers placing glass jars in carefully packed boxes, cloth-dyers wrapping their wares around themselves as they loaded vans. There wasn’t much for Angelina to do except close her cases and try not to look at her empty ledger.

“Slow day today, huh?”

Angelina looked over at Soren, who was slipping his art prints into a manilla folder. He was about ten years older, always wearing his thick corduroy jacket, even in summer. They were always placed together at these markets, but they hadn’t gone past much more than small talk.

“Yeah,” she replied, “I was hoping for more, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” he said. “Sometimes that’s the way it goes in the art business.”

She wanted to reply that it seemed to be going that way all the time for her, but she held her tongue. Soren paused while zipping his bag.

“Hey,” he said, “don’t let it get you down. I think your jewelry’s neat. You’ve got a good eye for it.”

“Thanks.” How was she going to face her mother? She was tired of trying to prove herself.

“Here.” Soren ducked under the table. He came back up holding a thin box. “My kids got me this Advent calendar. I know it’s only November 29th, but I think we can cheat. Take the first chocolate.”

What Angelina meant to say was, really? Thank you! But instead what came out was, “you have kids?”

Soren laughed. “Yup! Two: a boy and a little girl. Now c’mon, you look like you could use some chocolate.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind.” Angelina opened the first door and out popped a small circle wrapped in foil. “You know, my Bible study group started a bit early too. We’re starting our Advent stuff even though the first Sunday hasn’t happened yet.”

At this, Soren cooled a bit, face closing off. “That’s nice.”

Angelina noticed and didn’t say anything more about it. “I hope you have a good off-season,” she said.

“You too,” he replied.

As he walked away, the dark settling in just a bit more, Angelina shivered. She placed the chocolate foil by her paper ledger. She tapped her fingers against it. She wanted to be successful, and make money at this, so badly. She could practically taste it. She unwrapped the candy and let it melt on her tongue. She thought about the verse her Bible study had discussed just a few days ago.

In bold, dark letters across the mostly empty page, she wrote:

In the wilderness, prepare a road for the Lord.