This year, we’re sharing a different Advent resource each week. We’re especially focusing on resources that provide deep reflection in a doable amount of time, and that feel the weight of this year and also point us to the riches of our hope in Christ. Today we’re delighted to point readers to Cole Arthur Riley’s Black Liturgies, an ongoing collection of contemplative prayer and reflection shared through Instagram.
Cole Arthur Riley describes herself at her website Black Liturgist as “a writer, liturgist, speaker seeking a deeply contemplative life marked by embodiment and emotion.” She also serves as the Content and Spiritual Formation Manager for Chesterton House, a center for Christian studies at Cornell University.
Cole weaves together biblical images and stories, quotations from literature, contemplative prayer, and contemporary events, expressing the lament and longing of this Advent with profound beauty. You can find the beginning of Cole’s Advent 2020 prayers here, or simply head to Black Liturgies and start with the most recent Advent prayer.
About the author:
Dr. Hannah Eagleson loves building the ecosystem Christian scholars need to flourish and create positive impacts, in the university and beyond. She is Associate Director of InterVarsity’s Emerging Scholars Network, a digital first ministry serving thousands of early career Christian scholars. Dr. Eagleson launched the ESN student/early career track at the American Scientific Affiliation annual faith and science conference. She is the editor of *Science and Faith: Student Questions Explored* (Hendrickson, 2019), and the one-semester guidebook *Scholar’s Compass: Connecting Faith & Work for Academics* (InterVarsity Emerging Scholars Network, 2021), with design by noted liturgical artist Ned Bustard. She also launched the Scholar's Compass online devotional series in her previous role as ESN Editor. Dr. Eagleson holds an MA from St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD) and a PhD in Renaissance literature from the University of Delaware.