Advent Week Three 2010

 

Sunday- It took me a while to realize that 2 different hymns were buzzing around in my head: All Things Bright and Beautiful and We Plow the Fields. both sound like James 1:17 where he sees God as a fountain of good. In his way, James imagines God as a Santa Claus of heavenly goods being thrown about us not just on Christmas but every day of the year. They'd be good to sing in a long line: "all good gifts around us are sent from heaven above/then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord, for all his love." 

 

Monday-St. Nicholas found a legend starting around a good man in modern day Turkey. As a young man, he gave away his possessions. Eventually, he became a Bishop and attended the council of Nicaea and faced persecution as well. Stories grew up around him such as the famous story of throwing money down a chimney or through a window into a shoe. It was said that he appeared to a boy who was captured into slavery and deposited at the feet of his mother on his feast day, Dec. 6th.

 

Tuesday- Advent as a time of remembering and letting go One of our life tasks is learning to say goodbye and when to hold on. Santa is a piece of learning of the source of presents but holding on to the symbol of this season, as in the famous editorial, yes, Virginia. What parts of the Nativity story do you particularly hold on to? Where would it be wise to let go of things, thoughts, feelings?

 

Wednesday Light is an image that accords well with the life of the spirit. In this time of short days, but the ancients soon learned that the light would start to return toward the end of this month. Light dispels darkness, as John says, the darkness does not overcome it. Quakers have long spoken of an inner light. I find sometimes that the light of a candle helps me to focus when I pray. When i was a kid, I liked science and was fascinated that the different segments of the light were different temperatures. A candle is near me as I ponder this week's devotional material.

 

Thursday-Luke mentions no animals in Bethlehem's manger. We do hear of sheep in the fields. A manger means animal s feeding at a station, so ingenuity has filled in the gaps. Many children's books add an animal at the manger scene.Consider making up a Nativity story with an animal or plant that you could draw some meaning from. the robin's red breast comes from flapping its wings to help keep Mary and Jesus warm when the other animals did not respond to her discomfort. Some believe that the same donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem had a cross on its back and it carried Jesus on Palm Sunday. Some say we put tinsel on the tree because angel hair was caught in a tree Jesus decorated as a child.

 

Friday -Spiritual practice of forgiveness is always a good program. One of the stresses of the holidays is seeing people whom we have hurt or have hurt us. It fits with the season: a season of peace should stop revenge; a season of peace should have us define a person beyond the hurt they caused us. perhaps, like scrooge, we could learn to be reconciled to our past and let go of the hurts that we fan the flames for, even during the holidays. forgiveness is not only a gift of reconciliation, but it is a gift to one's own self, one's own good cheer.

 

Saturday-I wrote a note on holiday grief for the Springhill newsletter, but I always include a note on it for Advent devotionals too. I went to a good session at CTS, led by a retired pastor and teacher, Dan Moseley. we emphasized the expectations that we all hold for the season, and a loss always feels as if it it spoils the picture in our heads. Second, we emphasize togetherness, and togetherness will always be different after a death in the family. Instead of rendering them only absent, it may be wise to memorialize them in a toast, a present, a story, a favorite food.

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