by Karen Wilk
Micah 5:2-4 MSG
But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect—
Peacemaker of the world!
Matthew 2:6 (NRSV)
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’
A ruler who shepherds? A shepherd who rules?
Considering the ‘rulers’ wielding power today, and those in Jesus’ day as well, a shepherd-ruler sounds like a contradiction in terms. Yet, according to Old Testament writers (e.g. Psalm 78, 2 Samuel 5:2), a shepherd was the ideal king! And God’s rule was described as being that of a shepherd’s (e.g. Psalm 23, 80, Genesis 48:15, 49:24; Isaiah 40:10a-11).
Despite these accounts, few folks imagined or longed for a Shepherd Messiah-King. Given the political servitude and economic oppression at the time of Christ’s coming, they wanted a powerful warrior ruler who would come in triumph and conquer in might. Perhaps things haven’t changed much yet how ironic. The Sent One lies in a manger, innocent and vulnerable, his arrival more like a shepherd’s than an avenging king’s.
The Shepherd’s Way
But how does a shepherd ‘rule’?
A shepherd does not control like a ‘cowboy’ in an old Western movie. Ranchers constrain cattle from behind with prods and pokes. With whips and lassos, they steer their beasts, enforcing their will with fear and intimidation.
Shepherds, in contrast, assume a different posture amongst their flocks, as Jesus explains in John 10.
- They know their sheep by name (10:3, 4, 14). Jesus knows you and your neighbours by name.
- They lead from among, so the sheep know and trust them.
- Shepherds go ahead to make a way and be the way to green pastures, and still waters (Psalm 23), carrying the vulnerable, seeking the lost ones, ensuring that the flock is safe and provided for– like Jesus. He takes on our frailties. Jesus, the good shepherd lives among, loves with abandon, and walks alongside like no other.
REFLECT:
The incarnation reminds us (among other things) that God’s way among us is the Shepherd’s way. How might our way, among our neighbours, also be the shepherd’s way? How might hear His Voice and deepen our trust in the good shepherd, Who has gone ahead of us into our neighbourhoods? How might we discover anew or for the first time, green pastures and the good news of great joy: Immanuel, God with us right where we are?
RESPOND:
- Pay attention to your own responses, attitudes and actions and those of others (on your street, at work, out in public, in the media) today. Notice whether they are more shepherd-like or cowboy-style. What do you learn as you reflect on your observations?
- Ponder anew what it means for you that Jesus is your Good Shepherd. How might you be more like the Good Shepherd ’leading’ with presence, love, humility and grace in your neighbourhood? Try engaging with a neighbour in the Shepherd’s way today.
Come Lord Jesus, Our Shepherd-King
We long for You. To You we bring
Our cowboy instincts, our sheep-like weakness
Forgive us and help us follow the Sheperd’s way
That we might hear Your Voice and discover You in our everyday
For You are in our midst, Lord make us more like You—
Humbly among, holding space, healing grace, heaven’s view
For You are the Lamb at the center, as a shepherd to rule
Every nation, springs of living water, all made new. (Rev.7:17)
Amen.
This download includes the Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas devotional book, journal, and prayer cards for Celtic Advent, Advent, and Christmas through Epiphany! The Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas devotional spans the season from Celtic Advent through Epiphany on January 6th. The intent is to give us an extended period of time in which to both prepare ourselves for and celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth. The devotional offers a daily reading of either a liturgy, reflection, poem, or prayer that correlates with the journal which includes scripture, questions, and suggested activities for each day. The set of 12 Advent Prayer cards will help you reflect on the Advent and Christmas story.
by Lilly Lewin
Continuing the series of Invitation in Advent…
WE ARE INVITED TO WORSHIP
When you think of the word worship, what things come to mind?
Where are you when you worship God/Jesus?
Are you inside a building or outside in nature?
Are there places or people that remind you to sing Hallelujah or cause you to express some form of praise when you see them or are in the midst of them?
I’ve always experienced God outside. The heavens really do declare the Glory of God to me and for me! I met Jesus at camp in the mountains of North Carolina and places of beauty have always spoken to me of the presence of God. Sunsets, a beautiful full oak tree, a mountain vista, a butterfly, or a pink rose remind me of God and cause me to pause and praise Jesus for all he has done. I am most at home near water and it usually involves a cold climate not the Caribbean !
I also experience God in art museums. The beauty of art speaks to me of the beauty and creativity of God.
Creating my own art has become a daily practice of connecting with Jesus and a way I worship. I take my journal or sketch book to church gatherings and my crayons and/ or colored pencils and draw during the service as my way of expressing my love and praise and processing the worship time.
You might have thought Singing or music when I brought up the word worship. That is how many American christians define worship…the first half of the service that involves singing. I do know how to raise my hands and sing for half an hour. That used to be one of my favorite ways to connect with God.
It is only one way we can worship.
How does your community need an expanded its worship definition and move beyond singing worship to the multitude of other ways we can express love to God?
Think about how you express love to your friends and family…what are ways you show them love?
You aren’t exactly worshiping, but you are expressing love and honoring them with your gifts. You might try these ways to express your love to Jesus!
Advent is a time we are invited to bring out our gifts
Advent is a time we are invited to worship God with us.
As we move towards Christmas and the Christmas Season, remember that Christmas is a season not just one day! We get to keep celebrating and remembering December 25-Jan.6th!
In the Christmas story we have lots of ways to worship.
The Angels sing.
The shepherds, who are outside in the beauty of the fields, go and see! They get active. They don’t just roll back over and go back to sleep.
Mary ponders things in her heart, so she gets quiet and pays attention.
Maybe Joseph builds something in response …a cradle or a rattle since he’s the carpenter/craftsman.
The Shepherds are also the first evangelists, they keep telling the story of what they heard and saw!
What is your invitation this Christmas?
How are you invited to Worship Jesus and express your love?
Consider the shepherds… they go seek out and look for this baby.
Imagining these young and old guys, and some say girls too were shepherds because of their lowly status, all dressed in their rough hewn woolens with maybe a lamb or two, or their sheep dog in tow, wandering the back streets of Bethlehem listening for a baby’s cry or knocking on doors with the lights still on, seeking the manger…the SIGN the angels had promised. A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.
How are you being invited to look for Jesus?
What journey are you being invited on or where are you being invited to look for signs of Jesus? Maybe finding Him in unlikely or unexpected places.
Maybe your invitation is one to be still and to ponder things this Christmas. Like Mary. To take time to reflect on all the amazing things that have happened this last year. All the ways God has been in the details of your life. Taking time to be grateful and praise Jesus for these gifts!
This pondering might mean you need to sit with the questions of the last year. You might need to consider all the mysteries and the unanswered things, not just the good gifts.
Or your Invitation to worship might need to be tears. We aren’t very good at tears. I’m not good at grieving but I do know that as Christmas arrives, I am grieving the pain of this year and the last several years…the losses, the wars, and needless suffering caused by those conflicts and the greed of our broken systems.
Grief too can be an act of worship.
When we have experienced Jesus, when we have been touched by the beauty and love of God we want to share it.
What has God done in your life this year that you’d like to tell others about? Who do you need to tell about God’s love like the Shepherds did?
I mentioned above that I thought Joseph might have made, created something for Baby Jesus as an act of love. I think that the other gifts of worship that Joe brings to the Christmas story are presence, protection and trust. He was there for Mary, he protected his family, and he trusted in what the Angel told him and honored Mary and this new born baby. Have you seen these things as acts of worship in your life?
Maybe your invitation the Christmas is to be like Joeseph. How can you be more present to Jesus, to yourself, to others this Christmas season?
Mary and Joseph
We worship differently in different seasons. None is better than another. If God is changing you, your way of worship, or if you need a new way to worship, don’t let anyone shame you for this. This girl who wanted to be on Broadway, who took voice lessons and did musical theater throughout high school learned to experience God way beyond music and singing! Through art, pilgrimage, silence, beauty, creative prayer and now I much prefer contemplative quiet to loud.
There are different worship flavors for different seasons of our lives. And so many different ways to worship that can draw us closer to Jesus in the months and years ahead!
Worship changes us, transforms us…Mary and Joseph were definitely changed by the arrival of Jesus!
The shepherds were never the same after visiting baby Jesus that night. What about you?
What is your invitation? How is Jesus inviting you to worship him this Christmas? Know that you are welcome to try new things! And you are invited by the the Creator of the universe to be creative!
Receive the invitation to worship as Advent ends and this Christmas season begins! Be open to the adventure of love that Jesus has planned for you! Happy Advent and Merry Christmas! Lilly
LISTEN TO SOME SINGING WORSHIP:
If you need or want to change how you worship and you are feeling lonely or if you feel like you are the only one, know that you are not alone. There are lots of us out here who are looking for you! In the new year check out Christines’s new podcast ‘The Liturgical Rebel”
Christine Sine’s new podcast!
Every year as the days grow shorter, and the air grows sharper, the green of the trees gets lighter and thinner, until finally green gives way to yellow, orange, brown, and red. As if in protest to the cooler, darker days of fall, the trees kindle a fire of their own.
Their protest is spectacular, but short-lived. All too soon, their proud colours fade and fall away. After a night of rain, fallen leaves are cold and wet, clinging limply to the shoes of passers-by. On dry afternoons, their once brilliant flames crunch and crumple underfoot. The world is on the edge of winter.
On that thin edge between two seasons, the Jesuit priest and poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, wrote a poem addressed to a young girl named Margaret. He called it Spring and Fall https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44400/spring-and-fall, perhaps to contrast Margaret’s spring-like youth with the later maturity of fall.
I can almost see Margaret standing under half-bare trees, leaves above her head and under her feet and drifting down around her each time the wind heaves another sigh. Margaret is crying.
In response to Margaret’s tears, and like any good poet, Hopkins asks the question why. Why Margaret, are you grieving? Do you care for the leaves that are falling from the trees around you? Do you somehow sense the passing of time, the aging and death that await you and all God’s creatures? Unaware of the poet’s question, and perhaps unaware of the reasons behind her tears, Margaret continues to weep.
Yet says Hopkins, as a grown-up Margaret, “you will weep and know why.” As adults, we know the shortness and fragility of life. We sense the dread of death stalking us. We weep for those who have passed from this earth. We weep for our own mortality.
But like young Margaret with her tears, and like the trees in autumn, we can mount our own protest. We bundle up against the cold and wind. We decorate in bright Christmas red and green. We meet doubt with faith. Violence with peace. Despair with hope.
God is our great Creator, the one who gives us life and breath, who holds the present, past and future, who rules the passage of time. God is our great Saviour, the one who triumphs over sin and death, who welcomes us to live a new life together with all God’s people. God is our great Comforter, the one who stands and weeps with us, who brings on fall and winter, and promises spring and summer to come. This is God’s good news for all the grieving Margarets among us.
Spring and Fall
Gerard Manley Hopkins
to a young child
Márgarét, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.
Whether you are praying the stations of the day, in need of resources for rest, hoping to spark joy and find wonder, or simply want to enjoy beautiful prayers, poetry, and art – our digital downloads section has many options! Christine Sine’s book Rest in the Momentis designed to help you find those pauses throughout the day. Praying through the hours or watches, you may find inspiration in our prayer cards set Prayers for the Day or Pause for the Day. You may find your curiosity piqued in the free poetry and art download Haiku Book of Hours. All this and more can be found in our shop!
It’s the week before Christmas and the frenzy of activity to get ready for the season is now in full sway. This year there are really only three weeks of Advent so I am not posting another Advent liturgy, but rather this Christmas one.
This last week before Christmas is the week when I love to shift my focus, from Advent preparations to Christmas celebration. I particularly like to change the music I listen to, switching to Christmas music for the first time. I know many are already steeped in Christmas music but I find it has much more meaning if I don’t listen to it until this last week. I also love to listen to the O Antiphons, especially written for these days that lead up to Christmas.
As Christmas approaches, I also love to take time out of the busyness to pause and reflect on the real meaning of this season. In my Meditation Monday: Breathe in Welcome. I shared a breathing prayer exercise written especially for Advent that you might find helpful as a way to find that peaceful centre in the midst of the hectic activity. I have used it every morning this last week and found it really helped to focus in on my journey towards the birth of Christ. On Sunday afternoon we attended the Messiah, an annual event for us that also helps us focus. Yesterday I posted a liturgy for Christmas and Carol Dixon posted Advent prayers and reflections – just shows that we cannot make up our minds as to whether we are still in Advent or now getting ready for Christmas Day.
On Saturday I shared Tom’s and my Christmas letter for the year. It has been a good year for us and I hope it has been for you too. On Saturday Ron Friesen wrote about his reflections on Light at this season, something that came out of his visit to the botanical gardens. Where do you see light in this season? Friday, Lilly’s Freerange Friday – Advent Invitations – Are We Invited to Receive Joy. I love her compelling question How can you experience more Joy in the days ahead? This is indeed the week to receive joy. On Sunday, Gaudete Sunday we lit the joy candle, the rose colored candle on our traditional Advent wreaths. So much of the atmosphere of Advent is gloomy, expressing our needs for a Messiah in the midst of the woes of the world. Sunday was a welcome break from that.
On Thursday Karen Wilk in Wonder of God Among Us, provided a beautiful reflection on John 1:14 :Sometimes we read and hear Bible verses so often that we may forget to stop and ponder what they really mean. If we stop to think about what John 1:14 declares—and what we celebrate at this time every year—it’s astonishing. What can we ponder about John 1:14 for our lives today as Christ’s witnesses? On Wednesday John Van de Laar in Why Wait? talked about the fact that we have lost our capacity to wait, and shares some of the valuable lessons we learn through waiting. I heartily recommend his reflections.
I think that for many of us, the season around Christmas is a great time to turn towards poetry for strength and refreshment. The most popular poems on Godspace currently are Maya Angelou’s Amazing Peace, and John O’Donohue’s At The End of the Year. I also love Henry Nowen’s Christmas Prayer and Howard Thurman’s The Mood of Christmas.
My own poetry writing is still very much in Advent so let me end with this poem that I wrote a couple of days ago. It was inspired by Drew Jackson’s book of poems God Speaks Through Wombs.
I wait for a God
Who speaks through those
Who are vulnerable and despised.
I wait for a God who speaks through women,
Through those who have wombs.
One who has not slept with a man,
Yet gives birth to a child who will change the world.
Another thought too old to give birth,
Her child too would shatter the earth,
And prepare the way for the coming Christ.
Then there was Anna,
Praising God for years on end in the temple.
I don’t think she ever had a child,
Yet she too finds a place in the Christmas story.
I wait for this God,
Who welcomes everyone,
Outcasts on the edge of society,
Shepherds in a field,
Foreigners who are searching.
This God I will follow,
Through a child,
Born in Bethlehem,
So many years ago.
Jesus is his name.
And may all of us enjoy a blessed rest of Advent and a joyous Christmas celebration as we too await his coming.
Looking for resources to add meaning to your holiday season? We have collected liturgies, services, music, and much more to celebrate Advent, Christmas and into the New Year and Epiphany. Blessings on you and yours.
by Christine Sine
This year the Fourth week of Advent is very short, so instead of posting a liturgy for the fourth week of Advent I am posting one for the Christmas season.
God of joy and celebration,
God of love and mercy,
God of peace and righteousness.
We sing aloud and dance with the angels.
The ruler of all worlds, the shepherd of creation,
Jesus Christ has entered our world.
Our Saviour Christ has come into the world,
Not in power, not in might, but in the tenderness of love,
He comes as the promise of life hidden in a mother’s womb.
In this season of God with us we celebrate with the angels,
We are graced by the wonder of God’s presence,
We are filled with the tenderness of Christ’s love.
Pause to light the Advent & Christmas Candle
Alleluia, the waiting is over, Jesus Christ has come.
The promised One of Christmas in now present in our midst.
May we let the chaos settle and turn from our distractions,
May we notice the places that shimmer with his presence.
Alleluia, love comes down at Christmas,
Beloved son of God, Saviour of the world we welcome your coming.
A child born as one of us to make all things new,
A Saviour birthed to bring righteousness and justice for all.
Watch for the signs and listen for the messengers,
Stand on tiptoe, shout for joy and trumpet the good news,
God’s miracle has come down from heaven,
Alleluia the Christ child has come.
May this child of Christmas come to us and give us hope,
May he grow in us and show us life, may he speak to us and teach us love,
Alleluia something new is emerging something new is being birthed,
Jesus has come and we open our hearts to be his home.
Pause to Reflect on the coming of Christ and what it means for you.
Love and faithfulness meet together,
Righteousness and peace kiss each other,
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth
Shout aloud Hallelujah! God’s faithfulness comes down from heaven
God has kept every promise, the Saviour has been born and a new world begun .
In this season of God with us we rejoice for God’s salvation has come.
The redeemer of all creation has come to earth,
And we catch glimpses of God’s Messiah healed world.
Shout aloud Hallelujah! God’s faithfulness comes down from heaven
God has kept every promise, the Saviour has been born and a new world begun .
This is the time we believe once more that perfect love casts out fear,
That generosity transforms scarcity into abundance,
That righteousness overcomes oppression with justice.
Shout aloud Hallelujah! God’s faithfulness comes down from heaven.
God has kept every promise, the Saviour has been born and a new world begun .
We are graced by Christ’s presence and filled with his love,
May we become bearers of God’s light,
And go out to transform our troubled world.
Shout aloud Hallelujah! God’s faithfulness comes down from heaven
God has kept every promise, the Saviour has been born and a new world begun .
Scriptures of the day from the daily lectionary
The whole earth shouts with joy to God
The world declares God’s praise.
Praise to the compassionate and gracious One,
Who sent the son to dwell among us.
Praise to the incarnate One, Jesus Christ our Redeemer,
Who fulfills God’s covenant of love and compassion to all humankind.
Praise to the indwelling one, the Holy Spirit the giver of life,
Who proclaims God’s mercy and justice throughout the earth.
Praise to the Three in One,
Praise to the One in Three,
Praise to God on high.
A time of Prayer
Jesus you come,
In the voice of the poor,
In the hurting of the sick,
In the anguish of the oppressed.
Open our eyes that we may see you.
Jesus you come,
In the weakness of the vulnerable,
In the questions of the doubting,
In the fears of the dying.
Open our ears that we might hear you,
Jesus you come,
In the celebration of the saints,
In the generosity of the faithful,
In the compassion of the caring,
Open our hearts that we might embrace you.
Come into our hearts,
Come into our lives,
Come into our world.
Fill the world with your light and love and beauty.
Amen
by Carol Dixon
Festival of Light – Advent
Come, loving God,
into our worship and into our world;
Come with the light of love,
Come with the light of peace,
Come with the light of hope.
Come, loving God,
into our worship and into our world
and banish the darkness of night
with the dawn of your coming.
Word made flesh
How do you
…..flesh out
…..…..a word,
…..…..…..God?
Cover letters
…..in sinew,
…..…..skin?
Is it possible
…..to produce
…..…..pigment
…..…..…..on paper,
Or life-lines
…..and laughter lines
…..…..in script,
So that the impact
…..resonates throughout
…..…..the mists of
…..…..…..time?
In a word,
…..Yes.
…....…
The forerunner
Announce
to the world
‘God is coming!’
Proclaim
the message
‘The Lord is here!’
Build
new roads,
new avenues of hope
for all people.
Lord of the wild desert places,
we praise and adore you
for your refreshing message
of repentance, forgiveness,
and restoration.
Thank you for sending John,
as messenger -forerunner of Jesus –
to people wandering in the wilderness
of disobedience and despondency.
Cleanse and renew us
with your liberating love;
bathe us in your peace,
so that we are prepared
to take your Word to the world.
Lord of the supermarket and leisure centre
we praise and adore you
for your blazing message
of hope, reconciliation,
and renewal.
Thank you for sending us,
as announcers -followers of Jesus –
to people fumbling in the fog
of despair and disillusionment.
Set us free
with your purifying power;
inflame us with your joy,
so that we are ready
to broadcast your Word in our day.
(URC Prayer Handbook 1992)
Coming
‘I’m coming!’
Words of re-assurance
to a frightened child.
‘Coming, ready or not!’
Exciting anticipation
of being found.
‘It’s coming now!’
Time to relax
after a long wait.
Lord Jesus, coming king,
You take away our fear of the future,
You find us when we hide from you,
You fulfill all our longing expectation.
Your coming
comforts us,
thrills us,
settles us.
Come again
into our hearts,
in peace, in joy, in love,
this Christmas.
Waiting
God, we are waiting,
waiting for your coming
into our lives.
God, we are expecting,
hoping to see you
at work in the world.
Give us patience
to keep on waiting,
hoping, and working
for the coming
of your kingdom,
through Jesus our Lord –
born as a baby in Bethlehem,
living, dying and rising,
reigning with you and the Holy Spirit –
bringing us life and love and peace,
this day, and every day,
to the end of time.
Expectation
Oh the bliss of a bit of shelter,
some straw to lie down on
after that interminable journey;
somewhere to rest between pains.
I thought we’d never make it
at one stage – the checkpoint
as we entered Bethlehem.
Thank God for a compassionate soldier,
and the kindly innkeeper –
she obviously understood
what I was going through.
Here in the quiet, away from the crowds,
surrounded by the warmth of animals
and the solicitous strength of Joseph,
I can get on with things.
I never imagined when I agreed
to Gabriel’s request from God
that it was going to be like this.
I didn’t expect a palace
but hoped for a home and maybe
my mother and the local midwife
to help out, or even cousin Elisabeth –
she’s been through it recently.
The trouble is, when you say ‘Yes’ to God,
you never know what to expect!
Incarnation
It should have been so special: the son of God
– announced by an angel heralding his greatness –
growing within her womb; recognized by an unborn child
who, at her greeting, jumped for pure, pre-natal joy.
But then came pointed looks, Joseph’s unspoken doubts,
the heavy, sluggish journey to a southern city
– bursting at the seams with teeming humanity – culminating
in doors shut in their desperate faces, frantic arguing,
and the eloquent exhaustion in her pleading eyes.
And now it had come to this: the outhouse of an inn,
blood and sweat and straw; the child, tearing
his way into the world – from darkness into light;
between her pains she watched the cross beam
up above her head, studying its rough-hewn shape.
A strange beginning for the chosen one of God,
coming to life in squalid poverty and deprivation,
in a land oppressed by power of arms; where citizens
– herded like the cattle whose stall she borrowed –
were numbered for a foreign ruler’s whim.
Such an ordinary birth: and yet she knew
as he was born, the world would never be the same again.
Christmas Prayer
You came as a baby, Lord,
as a little helpless child
who relied on a human family
to care for him.
You cried because you were hungry,
because you were homeless,
because you were a stranger
far away from home.
You still cry with hunger, Lord,
in the voices of the many starving;
your tears still flow: for the homeless,
the lonely and the forgotten;
you still rely on human families
to care for you.
And so this Christmas, Lord, we pray:
help us to be the kind of people
who look for you in the world,
and joyfully discover you
as we care for one another.
from Worship Resources for Advent & Christmas John Paul Press
(reproduced with permission)
‘A rose Arose’*
In the dark recesses
of winter world
a sleeping seed
germinates.
Cocooned within
the womb, a foetus
flexes fragile fingers
tipped with tiny nails;
birth beckons;
a journey begins:
darkness gives way
to light.
Hidden in the humus
of a stable yard,
a simple rose grows
and, on Christmas morning,
blossoms.
*From the 15th century Carol ‘Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen’
This download includes the Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas devotional book, journal, and prayer cards for Celtic Advent, Advent, and Christmas through Epiphany! The Lean Towards the Light this Advent & Christmas devotional spans the season from Celtic Advent through Epiphany on January 6th. The intent is to give us an extended period of time in which to both prepare ourselves for and celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth. The devotional offers a daily reading of either a liturgy, reflection, poem, or prayer that correlates with the journal which includes scripture, questions, and suggested activities for each day. The set of 12 Advent Prayer cards will help you reflect on the Advent and Christmas story.
by Christine Sine
My word for the third week of Advent is Welcomed. As I thought about that over the weekend I was reminded of the fact that God breathed on us, we welcomed the breath into our bodies and became living beings. In light of that I thought that I would share a breathing exercise that I wrote especially for the Advent season.
Breath Exercise
(Inspired by Scott Erickson author of Honest Advent).
Paying attention to our breathing is at the heart of any kind of centering prayer or mindfulness practice and it is a good place to start each morning as we move closer to Christmas and need a time to pause and relax as we start the day.
Throughout the scriptures there are many places that people meet the living God – burning bushes, on top of mountains, in a wrestling match but probably the most unexpected and inspiring form is through breathing. The Hebrew word for breath is ruach, the same word as for the Holy Spirt. And as we breathe in and out, it is as though we breathe in the life giving energy of the Holy Spirit, and then as we breathe out, we breathe out that energy and share it with the world.
Can you imagine how Mary and Joseph felt as they held the baby Jesus and listened to his breathing – inhale, exhale, the breath of God in a tiny baby, the breath of the Holy Spirit that overshadowed Mary and enabled her to conceive. But that breath, ruach, the Holy Spirit is not just in this baby, but in all the babies born to our world, in fact in all of us and in all the creatures of God’s good creation. The breath of the Holy Spirit giving life. Inhale, exhale, imagine the wonder of it.
Maybe the place we experience the wonder of Advent most fully, is when we stop and listen to our own breathing. Lets do that for a couple of minutes.
Sit quietly in the presence of the living God.
Relax your body, release the tension in your jaw and your shoulders.
Close your eyes and slowly breathe, imagining that you are breathing in not just air, but the energy of the Holy Spirit.
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth.
Imagine how Mary and Joseph felt as they held the baby Jesus
and listened to his breathing.
Imagine that you too hold the baby Jesus in your hands. Inhale, the breath of God, ruach, in a tiny baby. Exhale, the breath of Jesus going out into the world. The life of heaven and renewal of earth, the hope of all people, held in each breath we take, each breath we share, from the moment of birth.
Breath draws us into the one family with the Christ child, one community with all the people of the earth, our breath mingling as we quietly inhale and exhale together.
Now imagine Jesus as we think of him today. Sit conscious of the comforting embrace of our beloved Saviour,
Jesus Christ redeemer, but also friend, companion, brother,
Circling you, walking with your as you journey along the way.
Breathe deeply
In through your nose,
Out through your mouth
Sit in awareness of God’s Holy Spirit filling you,
Counsellor, guide, fount of all wisdom,
Ruach, living breath,
Love always with us
When we feel alone,
Light always filling us.
When darkness threatens to overwhelm.
Joy and awe bursting forth
When we catch glimpses of beauty
Beyond our comprehension.
Slowly breathe
Inhale, exhale,
Sit still in the enfolding presence of God,
Almighty and Holy One,
Knowing the embrace of the Eternal One is with you
Every step of your journey.
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