Words
Advent happens for us in the Northern Atmosphere at a perplexing time. Outside in nature, things are lessening. Most leaves have fallen, except for the brown ones on Oak and Beech Trees. The green in my yard is nearly all gone except for a few blades of grass. The days are shortening -- a part of the season I welcome. Temperatures are slowly dipping, with next week looking pretty cold! Even the Deer are slowing down. Today, on my walk with the dogs, we were less than twenty yards away from a few that were bedding. I like to think we are no longer strangers to them. Before technology, this was the time of year we would huddle up in our huts, recovering from harvest and preparing for the Winter.
Now, there are exceptions. For instance, yesterday and today, my Bird feeders were busy not only with Chickadees and Sparrows but those chonky Squirrels who snack with one eye glued to the backdoor. Their activity isn't leisure. They are preparing themselves for those days when food isn't readily available. In their busyness, they are preparing, too.
The perplexing part? I've not slowed down. The opposite is true. A lot has been going on: meetings and visits, Kirk Nights and cookie exchanges, ministry, and ... meetings? Did I mention those yet? Although I find time to pause, reflect, and pray, I've had to speed up my days, leaving me exhausted by the end of the day. It doesn't help that when I listen to the radio or get online, messages bombard me with reminders of how close Christmas is and that I still have time to buy all the things! On my Facebook feed, events are popping up left and right. This game is happening tonight; that fundraiser is tomorrow; Ash Wednesday is just over two months away! I tip my hat to those with kiddos in sports, band, and plays.
In the Northern hemisphere, as the earth turns inward, the demands from culture to turn outward are many. If you enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season, please don't read this as a critique. My intentions are not to offend but to name the irony of our rhythms to those of nature.
But I do want to say this -- I hope we don't busy ourselves so much that we miss the Christ in our midst right now. I hope we aren't so overstimulated that we miss the Messengers declaring "Joy to the world!" even as we wait. I hope we aren't so consumed with the pressures of consumerism that we miss the deep Incarnation right outside our windows -- inside our very homes.
As I write this, the darkness of the night settles on my house. I can't see the stars, but I see the glistening lights from my neighbor's house across the way. It brings me joy to reflect on the day they put those lights up. I don't know their story, but I know they were laughing and having fun while they did it. I hope they are enjoying the spirit of this season.
Friends, despite how busy I've been, I'm joyful. My heart is whole as I write with two Golden Companions resting at my feet, one the doctor said wouldn't be here. I'm smiling as I think about what awaits us in these next few days: celebrating the Love candle, caroling, and receiving hospitality from friends on Sunday, bearing witness to each other's grief, and making space for the shadow of the season on Wednesday, and of course, preparing our hearts for the good news of the Living God's promise to us next weekend -- that They are with us!
Below are photos from the last few days. Each picture represents a specific word from the week. Those words are stranger, beloved, thirsty, and traveler. As I ponder these words in my heart, I thank God for the strangers I meet who reveal the presence of Christ right now -- like little children who enthusiastically 'shopped' for their loved ones. I rejoice knowing that all of us -- yup, especially you -- are named, claimed, and declared by God as beloved! I acknowledge my longing for wholeness, thirsting for liberation from all that separates me from Love. And I smile with delight, pondering all the ways I encounter the Incarnation -- as I pray, "Come, Savior, come!"
I invite you between now and the 25th to sit in the darkness. Let the cold air remind you that you are alive. Welcome the ways creation speaks to us of our faith's mysteries. Light a candle and as it dances, remember the Living God has not abandoned us. Acquaint yourself with the fullness of this life. Need inspiration? Read the Song of Songs and indulge in the pleasures of this life!
Slow down. Speed up. Find your rhythm. Just remember, the world is about to turn!
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it.
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