by Christine Sine
Christmas is almost here and though for many of us the whirlwind of gift giving and feasting holds much of our attention, it is time to turn our thoughts towards the coming of the Christ child and the excitement of the transformation that his birth made possible in our world. Our lives are changed. We are filled with the holy light of God and though we still long for the full unveiling of his presence we can live in the light of Christ, now and every day.
I hope that this prayer will help some of us to find focus.
Today is Blue Christmas! Enjoy this post by Kate Kennington Steer —
‘I follow light’
This darkness is a rope, not a prison:
hand over hand I haul myself in
to touch your face, to blossom.
My fingers crawl toward heaven
leaving behind whorling shadows;
this darkness is a rope, not a prison.
I follow light through forgotten
canyons and grottos;
I touch your face and know
that even the sun has a mission:
as it climbs, it grows.
This darkness is a rope, not a prison
not a cell from which I hasten.
Freely, hand over hand I follow
to touch your face, to open and open
like a night-blooming jasmine,
or a well widening with echoes:
this darkness is a rope, not a prison,
I touch your face, I blossom.
‘The Gift’
Maurya Simon
Today I remember those who feel imprisoned – by a physical cell; by the shadow of abuse; by a mind differently wired that keeps defaulting to negative, obsessive or paranoid places; by the failings of bones or blood, synapses or nerves.
Today I remember those who are incapable of saying for themselves, “help me”.
Today I remember those who have no glimmer there is a God who is loving them in their darknesses; I remember those who cannot say ‘this darkness is a rope, not a prison’ for themselves, who have no idea of how to ‘follow light’, grow away from the bleak places in their lives.
Today I remember those who feel utterly stuck, uncreative, trapped, who feel they cannot ever blossom into myriad ‘hues hewn from hurt’, to use Keren Dibbens-Wyatt’s beautifully evocative phrase.
Today I remember all those who long for meaning, who long for light to emerge out of the dark places in our world and for those who become overwhelmed; all those for whom Christmas cannot be an occasion for celebrating ‘Joy to the world’.
Bringing all these little ones, and myself, before our God, I remember Rumi’s observation: ‘those receiving light give out light’.
May I offer my light freely – the unique light God gave to each of us, that is light like no other – today.
All throughout these months
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
It has practiced
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.
So believe me
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.
You will know
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.
This blessing
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.
So when
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
This is the night
when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.
‘Blessing for the Longest Night’
Jan Richardson
By Keren Dibbens-Wyatt —
As regular readers know, I am severely affected by M.E. Sometimes I feel as though my chronic illness is like a wicked witch in a fairy tale, keeping me captive in a tall tower. I remain attached to this analogy despite the fact that I live in a bungalow, and am definitely a very long way from being a princess. My hair has grown very long over the last few years of being unwell enough to get it cut or styled, but I don’t particularly relish the idea of anyone climbing up it. I get more than my share of neck pain as it is. But yes, all joking aside, I do feel shut away from the world, held in a world of living mostly in one room against my will, and almost completely dependent on my uncomplaining, constant husband. And though I am particularly bad this year, I’ve been cloistered to varying degrees for over twenty years.
It is hard, often, to imagine what God is playing at in all this. Why doesn’t he just heal me? I would love to go for long walks. That is the thing I grieve for most, my walking. At best now, I stumble a few times a day from the bedroom to the living room, from the bedroom to the bathroom. The outside world is a closed one to me, bar the occasional daring jaunt to the patio.
I have had to ask myself some difficult questions about the worth of my life. I pray a lot, and I ask God about this too. What is the point of such a life? Is there light shining here too, in this darkness? I have taken Julian of Norwich as a kind of mentor, someone who chose to be shut away, anchored to one place, in order to free up her time for God, and the work of meditating on all the wonderful visions he had given her. I have received a lot from the Lord too, albeit minuscule in comparison, for we are all given the tasks we are capable of. I’ve been given seeings and stories, poems and prayers, and creative talents I never knew were in me.
This time, albeit robbed of the blessings that I hoped would be mine at this stage of life, and despite my often feeling low, is nevertheless full of light. Ideas for books and sharings tumble out of me, muses falling over themselves to get through the clogged doorways of my exhausted mind. Characters come to life in the small hours of insomnia, and in the daytime, paintings and drawings give me great joy in the love of vibrancy and colour that is denied me in so many other areas of my life.
Most of all, there is the presence of the holy three-in-one, who delights in me despite my weakness. He has taught me that if I am an anchoress like Julian, it is to him that I am tethered, like a tree whose roots are forever wrapped around the solidness of rock beneath. He has assured me too, that despite the smallness of my cell, it is teaching me everything, as the desert mothers and fathers knew it would, and there is some small light shining out of the windows here to help guide others either towards God and/or away from the possibility of wrecking rocks. Given the state of my life I suspect I am more likely a horrible warning than a good example! But then, it is his light that is radiating from me, and in spite of me.
The lighthouse is an image we come back to over and over again, God and I. I share it with you here in hopes that those of you who are trapped in difficult or trying circumstances might garner some hope. However small or difficult our lives are, however tiny our sphere of existence, God can and will be with us wherever we find ourselves. He will make himself known through love, truth and his merciful, beautiful grace, whether we are able to see it or not. Wicked witches may do their worst, but they cannot ever stop the light of his love from shining.
Keren Dibbens-Wyatt is a disabled writer and artist with a passion for poetry, mysticism, story and colour. Her writing features regularly on spiritual blogs and in literary journals. Her full-length publications include Garden of God’s Heart and Whale Song: Choosing Life with Jonah. She lives in South East England and is mainly housebound by her illness.
by Christine Sine
We think of Advent as a time of us waiting for the birth of Christ, yet in some ways it is just as much a time of Christ waiting for us – waiting for us to notice him, to take time to acknowledge him and to more than anything, waiting for us to allow his light to shine through us.
Week 4 of Advent from John Lewis’ book, Finding the Treasure in Christmas: A Guide to celebrating Advent for Families —
Special Activities:
- Put up your star or angel at the top of your tree. Hang an angel ornament on your Christmas tree, mantel or shelf (If you have already put these up, point them out).
- Read a suggested story from the New Guideposts’ Christmas Treasury, in Appendix II.
- Watch: Rudolf (Theme: Rudolf ’s bright nose acts as a star to guide his team); A Christmas Carol (theme: the three spirits act as stars to guide Scrooge to the truth); Miracle on 34th Street (theme: it takes the gift of faith to see and believe); The Polar Express (theme: again, it takes the gift of faith to see and believe).
Read:
- Light the fourth Advent candle, which is the “Angel” or “Star” candle. Read Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-16 as you do. Listen for how the star, scribes, and angels helped others find Jesus.
Reflect:
The Magi lived in a time when people looked to the stars for answers. They trusted them enough to travel thousands of distant miles to following a star that came from the East. When they arrived in Israel, they did not know exactly where God’s divine gift would be found. They naturally first stopped and asked for help in Jerusalem, Israel’s prestigious and historic capital. The priests in Herod’s court shared with them the prophesied location where their King would appear: “in Bethlehem of Judea.”
These Eastern experts of the stars would have been shocked: Why would Jesus be found here in a little backwater town and not in the religious center of Jerusalem? Why would the ruler of the universe make His entry into their world as a poor baby boy? Yes, the Magi-like us all- would never have discovered Jesus on their own. They needed help, to find the location of the King, and to also get past their own perceptions of what He should be like.
But the Magi were not the only ones who required assistance to see clearly. Angels had to tell Mary and Joseph about the divine conception, the baby’s destiny, and their need to flee to Egypt. Not even the shepherds would have discovered Jesus on their own. And centuries later, we still need help to overcome our misperceptions that often blind us to the truth (Isaiah 9:2). Personal speculations alone cannot lead us to find Jesus in our own Bethlehems, but here is the good news: the God who sent angels that first Christmas still wants to help us find and delight in His Son. God no longer uses stars but His indwelling Holy Spirit to point us to Jesus. As the church comes alive in seeing Jesus, the mission of the star becomes ours as well: we point a waiting world to the only One who can still bring a new hope to the human heart (John 15:26). And when one of the least or lost discovers their place in God’s family, the angels still rejoice.
Do/Discuss:
- Put together a little treasure hunt to find a Christmas treat. Make the clues hard enough that the kids will need a little help and clue from you on one or more of them. After they find and eat the treat, remind them that without your help, they may not be eating!
- Share: How did a person, relationship and/or circumstances this past year help you see divine truth or experience Jesus more? Or, how did God use you as a star or angel in someone’s life to help point him or her to Jesus?
Sing:
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
Pray:
Lord, when we are lost, You see our need. You know our blindness and send us stars to bring us to Jesus. Thank You so much for the family, friends, circumstances, and “stars” You have used to guide us home. We ask You to point us to Christ through the Spirit as You guided the Magi that first Christmas. Lord, where we see others still lost, others who have never looked up and seen Your star or heard angel’s voices, may we be stars pointing to You. Give us courage. Amen.
John Lewis lives in Tacoma, Washington and is a father of three grown children and husband of one Christmas-loving wife. He is the director of Kingdom Story Ministries and passionate about seeing the next generation of Jesus followers grow and stay faithful over their life time. Building meaningful and enduring traditions during the Advent season, the month before Christmas, was certainly one way their kids found long term faith roots. Those 15 years of trial and error, singing carols and squirming in their seats, reading and sharing, putting up the tree, lights, ornaments and star one week at a time, they were well worth the effort. Though far from perfect, we offer to you our flexible approach and variety of ideas for developing Christ centered Christmas traditions. May your kids, year after year, grow anticipate the faith element of Christmas alongside all the fun of the season; may their roots run long and deep for the challenging life they have ahead of them.
by Christine Sine
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5 NLT)
I read these words as Tom and I took off from Seattle for an early morning flight to Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago. Then I looked outside the window and was awed by the sunrise over Mt Rainier – light emerging in the darkness. Such a powerful reminder, a bringer of hope and anticipation to my soul. Light DOES shine in the darkness, I thought and NOTHING will extinguish it.
I went on to read:
Our world, our lives, are punctuated and permeated by the divine presence. We need to live in the reality of this, rather than the illusion that the world, our inner world, is still in darkness. We need not feel like we are abandoned by God in a world of darkness… The Word which spoke from without now speaks from within …. For us, post-Incarnation human beings, this processionals (of transformation) has already begun” (Celtic Advent 732)
As we head towards Christmas this week through the last days of Advent it is so reassuring to know that nothing will ever extinguish the light of God, either in our hearts and in our world.
This year seems to have been filled with so much darkness- so many mass shootings that we have lost count; so much heartache for migrant families hoping for a new life in countries that do not want them; hurricanes, droughts, fires that have extinguished life before its time, the threats of climate change, political upheaval and animosity have all overwhelmed us, often with despair. The darkness seems to shroud our world and drain our hope.
Yet there is hope. God’s newness is emerging and will one day burst into our world like the sun rising in a new dawn. That is the hope of Advent and the promise of Christmas that still shines brightly in our hearts and in the dark dawn of our lives.
Sun setting over Puget Sound
Interestingly as we flew back to Seattle a couple of days later, we landed as the sun was setting and this was the scene outside my window. Wow — not only does the light shine in the darkness of the dawn but it also illumines the darkness of the sunset. So much hope and promise in these images.
Newness Is On The Way
As I thought about all of this, the following prayer bubbled up within me:
God of promise and hope and renewal,
God of love and joy and life.
Plant seeds of light within us.
Let them emerge from the darkness,
like the sun rising with the dawn,
giving new life,
where none seemed possible.
Newness is on its way.
Your Word, spoken from without,
Now flames within.
Your light birthed,
in the darkest places of our world,
and the hidden cracks of our souls.
Let the brightness of your Son shine,
In us, through us, around us.
Let your Spirit nourish and grow it,
until wholeness pushes up
through the broken surface of things,
and green shoots emerge
with the promise of life and hope and truth.
What Is Your Response
Watch the video below. Listen to the words and contemplate the new life within you and within this world that God planted through the incarnation of Christ. What does “newness of life” mean for your you? How have you planted seeds of light during and this Advent season and how do you anticipate living out this newness in the Christmas season?
by Christine Sine
As many of you know I love Christmas baking. It is a very contemplative practice for me as it gives me a chance to pray for all the friends who will receive these either as a gift or through hospitality.
This year I have tried a few new recipes that I wanted to share with you. I think that they could become as popular as my shortbread. Both of these use ingredients from our garden, which is an added delight that encourages me to look forward to next year and hopefully a bountiful year of produce.
Apple cranberry bars
Apple Cranberry Bars
PASTRY
3 cups All purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons custard powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 ounces butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
FILLING
3 cups stewed apples (or pie apples)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons honey
Method
1. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add sugar, mix well. Beat egg and milt together, add to dry ingredients, mix to a firm dough.
3. Knead lightly on a floured surface
4. Roll out 2/3rds of pastry to line a greased 13×9” tin
5. Put cooled apple filling into pastry.
6. Roll out remaining 1/3rd of pastry, cut into 1/4 “ strips and arrange in a lattice fashion over apple
7. Bake in a moderately hot (375F) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and cook a further 20 minutes or until pastry is cooked
8. Dust with icing (confectioners) sugar. The apple absorbs the sugar leaving a snowy covering on the pastry
9. FILLING: Put ingredients into a small pan, stir over low heat for 3 minutes. Cool.
10. Cool in pan before cuttingSource:
Adapted from Australian women’s weekly Best Ever Recipes
Sweet Cherry Almond Bars
Sweet cherry almond bars
Fruit Filling
1 3/4 lbs pitted cherries, halved or rough chopped (about 2 1/2 cups) I used frozen cherries which tend to produce more liquid so increased cornstarch to 3 teaspoons. I know fresh cherries would have been better but in December in Seattle they are not available unless you want to go with ones imported from the Southern Hemisphere.
4 tablespoons sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Shortbread dough
2 cup flour
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
2/3 cup raw organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs (I hate to waste egg whites so like to use the whole egg instead of just the yolk as suggested in the original recipe.
2 teaspoon almond extract
8 ounces cold butter, cut in pieces
Topping
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Method
1. Set oven to 350F. Lightly spray an 8×8 baking pan.
2. Stir together the cherries with the sugar, lemon juice, extract, and cornstarch. Set aside, tossing occasionally to encourage some of the juices to start flowing.
3. Put the flour, almond meal, sugar, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
4. Add the yolk, extract, and butter, and pulse or process to combine just until the dough comes together, it will be crumbly.
5. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of your pan to form the crust.
6. Top with the cherries. Then crumble the remaining dough evenly over the cherries.
7. Top with the sliced almonds and bake for about 40 minutes until the dough is just golden and the filling is bubbling.
Let cool before cutting.
Adapted from https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/sweet-cherry-almond-bars/
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