Plan Your Advent Sermons & Life (A Free Workshop Offering Hope in the Overwhelm)

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I’m a fan of “The Great British Baking Show.”

Each summer, a group of talented amateur bakers are selected for a baking contest. Ten weekends in a row, they converge at “the tent” where work stations are set up for each baker.

Ovens, sinks, mixers, bowls, measuring cups, and all the ingredients needed for their amazing concoctions are at hand.

Each baking challenge has a nearly impossible time limit to meet. Time is always of the essence.

Stress and multi-tasking come with the territory, and often the bakers’ work stations show it.

Counters are strewn with dirty pots, sinks are stacked with bowls so high there’s no room to run the water, and by the end of a challenge there’s so much scattered flour that if it could be gathered from the counters — and the bakers — there would be more than enough to use for their next cake.

One of the judges, Paul Hollywood, admires and looks for neatness in both the bakers’ work stations and their bakes. He offers praise when a confection is decorated and plated just so with his trademark phrase, “It’s very neat.” He also acknowledges when bakers clean up their work stations as they go along.

Why is neatness important to him?

Because, he says, “a tidy kitchen is a tidy mind.”

And a tidy mind thinks clearly, doesn’t get flustered, and gets the job done better.

How Tidy is Your Advent Going to Be?

Now I confess, my brothers and sisters in Christ, were Paul Hollywood to walk into my office, he would stand there in a stony silence that would bespeak, How can you work like this? as clearly and disapprovingly as if he had said the words out loud.

My untidy mind really does get reflected in my untidy office—and not only in my untidy office, but in my over-scheduled calendar and lengthy to-do list with every task feeling of equal weight and urgency.

Now add to that the looming Advent season with all its extra busyness, and it’s just…yikes.

A lot of it is fun and joyful, of course. The anticipation of Christmas gives us a lot to look forward to.

But even the fun stuff means more to do.

In fact, our to-do lists and calendars will probably get stuffed more than the Thanksgiving turkey.

There are trees to decorate; work parties to attend (whether we want to or not); Christmas Eve liturgies to plan; gifts to order, wrap, and mail; cards to send; thank you notes to write; and of course! cookies to bake.

And if you’re hosting guests or traveling to family or friends, well, there’s a whole other to-do list for those logistics.

Not to mention the emotional hype (expectation?!?) within and around us that clutters our minds as much as the activity.

As Christmas approaches, many stresses become more acute and frequent—like the pressure to produce high quality (though not-over-the-top-perfect) sermons, liturgies, and music; pastoral care needs; disagreements between church leaders; and the desires of parishioners, your family, and perhaps, even yourself.

How Tidy Do You Want Your Advent to Be?

I long for tidiness for my “insides” as well as my “outsides.”

To that end, I’ve already started preparing for a tidy Advent:

I cooked and froze a dozen family meals last weekend.

I cleaned my office, recycling a forest’s worth of accumulated paper, creating new “homes” for dozens of items, clearing off my desk, and even adding a beautiful vase of fresh flowers.

I delegated the work tasks that most weigh me down so I can focus on the things only I can do — like preach.

As a result, I have lots of healthy food ready to eat, my office is a place I enjoy again, my calendar and to-do lists are manageable, and there’s plenty of open space for sermon prep.

Paul Hollywood would be proud!

If this sounds too good to be true, I assure you it’s not. It simply takes a decision to spend a bit of time now to free up a lot of time later.

Create a “Tidy” Advent Schedule

It feels so freeing to have much of my life back in order and to look forward to Advent.

I want to help you experience the same.

If you can spare an hour, I can help you strategize your December for a season of calm, connection, and clarity.

Lisa+