We are approaching Advent 2012.
This may be the first time you have decided to include Advent Devotions
as part of your pre-Christmas plan. Or,
this may be another in a constant stream of your Advents.
With these days the
church of Christ is entering a time of
anticipation. We watch and wait. We are expectant. We look toward the day when our lives will
experience the birth of Christ in new ways.
We trust that there is not one space of darkness in our lives that cannot
be illuminated by the Light of God’s love in Christ.
We
approach Christmas gradually, counting the days, marking the time, patiently
moving from readings about darkness to those that tell of the glorious
in-breaking of Light that endures forever.
Why do
we do this? One reason, to be honest, is
because it is a tradition -- beloved by many, resisted by some, and forgotten
by most who have chosen to fast forward from Halloween to Christmas.
But
another reason we do this is because it does take practice and intentionality
to clear the path for a deep and meaningful Christmas experience.
Christmas
takes time to unfold. It takes time to clear away our preoccupation with
prosperity, "good life" and human power. It takes time to notice the
deep yearnings of the human spirit for divine love that stretches the seams of
the fabric of ordinary life. As we look
at our life we may actually discover that what the world highlights is actually
the “stuff” of darkness. We may also
discover that the light of God’s hope, joy and love is breaking in to our
lives, even in the midst of situations that may seem very dark and hopeless
initially.
Much of our
human condition is dark -- we sin, we are sinned against. We fear.
We experience tragedy and suffering and injustice. Yet God calls us to watch and wait and walk
towards the Light of His Love, even as God approaches us all the time with the
eternal Light of Christ. As we wander
and wonder through the shadows of Advent our desire for the Gift of Christ is
heightened. And then, once again, we
celebrate the glorious Light of God’s Love in Christ born within our hearts,
our minds and our souls.
So let us gather together as children gather at the feet
of a storyteller. "Once upon a time the people wandered in the darkness of
brokenness and sorrow. They were scattered and isolated as the world gained
momentum towards destruction." We know how the story turns out, but we
stand tiptoed and cup-eared to hear it once again.
I pray that
this Advent, 2012, provides a new sense of waiting, new hopes for you and your
loved ones and a fresh awareness of the light of God’s Love given freely for
you.
Using this Devotional--
Each week
will include scripture, poetry, lyrics, images, and contemporary (and classic)
writings to stimulate reflection and prayer.
Sundays reading will be the gospel reading from the Lectionary,
including a prayer to use throughout the week.
Monday will offer some thoughts about darkness and light. Tuesdays reading will be an excerpt from the
Holden Evening Prayer liturgy (plan to attend the Advent Midweek Worship each
Tuesday Evening). Wednesday you will
read poetry or sacred writing. Thursday
you will have an image to contemplate.
Friday you will look at verses from an Advent Hymn. Saturday you will read a psalm or a poem.
This
devotional focuses upon the wonder and beauty of light as it meets or spills
into darkness. It is a prayer exercise dedicated to our
approach or avoidance of the textures and contrasts that characterize us, our
relationships, and our lifestyles.
We begin
Advent entering the darkness, walking for a while through readings and prayer
exercises that deepen our sense of what it means to be in the “dark”. Each week we will take time to notice the
many ways that light peeks into and through darkness. Then, together, we will celebrate the
glorious joy of The Light of Christ given freely and fully so that our lives
may be en-lightened forever.
Perhaps you
will set aside time with family, friends or coworkers to have conversation
about where you are seeing or experiencing darkness and shadows (or glimmers
and beams of light). You may want to purchase a blank journal if you like to
write about your devotional time.
May God
Bless your Advent Waiting. May the Light
of God’s love reach deeply into whatever darkness you encounter.
No comments:
Post a Comment