Through Stained Glass: Advent Word a Day -- Tell

 Tell

 

You know what I love about Advent?

 

It’s a time between time and a space outside of space. The season of Advent invites us to consider our lives, listen to them, and then tell the truth about them. When we tell the truth about our lives, we open ourselves to transformation.

 

The stories of Advent, the candlelight slowly growing, the landscapes of wild places, the poetry of the prophets—all invite us to dream of something new. For John the Baptist, there’s no better place than the wilderness, where you’re on the farthest edge of empires’ expectations and the burdens of the religious.

 

Out there, beyond the sights and sounds of the city, along the earthy-smelling banks of the Jordan, with mud between their toes and a taste of the river’s wild flavor, their imaginations open wide for something, anything to be different than back home.

 

John tells them something is going to happen; the One who is coming will upend what they think they know. John invites them to unlearn that which no longer serves them; to allow the fire of wisdom to burn away stale beliefs; to join the dance of the Divine. To … you guessed it … to see beyond the mind.

 

He’s telling them to “Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into the conversation.” (David Whyte) The conversation is Love itself – the Word that’s been since before the beginning – the Word that wraps healing and wholeness around us. John tells them not to try too hard; to set aside those things they think they need because, more than likely, it’s all chaff.

 

He tells them to be ready because something new is about to be born.

 

So, can you do me a favor, please? Can you take 3-5 minutes and live a little on the edge by sharing what new thing you wish to bring forth? Don’t think about those things that hold you back, okay? Your beliefs and traditions are sacred – but remember, so are your dreams and awakening. No need to spend time as an insider to your beliefs, like a ‘dues-paying member’ of a country club, guarding the agreement you signed upon joining. Imagine John telling you to loosen your thoughts a bit, awaken from a potential sleepwalking state, and let the Spirit help you see beyond your mind.

 

Can you do that for me? Good. Thank you.

 

Sometimes telling the truth about our lives is challenging – it may leave us a little dazzled, like a striking bolt of lightning. And yet, Advent is the perfect time to bear witness to the longings and dreams we carry around inside us.

 

Advent is a way of life. We pay close attention to these texts because they remind us how expecting Jesus' birth calls us to live and witness to the Living God, who feels everything we do and promises to come alongside us, especially when saying ‘Behold!’ is hardest.

 

So, tell me, beloved, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” (Mary Oliver)