Andy Wade —
I woke up this morning to one-half inch of ice covering everything, including the near-foot of snow that fell the past couple of days, which was on top of the foot of snow still covering the ground after a storm on December 9th. We’ve had a real winter here in Hood River, Oregon.
I’m now sitting here at my desk looking out over my snow and ice-encrusted garden. The dead sunflowers tower over the snow, icicles clinging to them like mini-daggers drawn in protest to the winter assault. Rain is finally falling. Not the freezing kind, but the cool wet rain that slowly dissolves ice and snow. All this reminds me of a saying from the desert monk, Abba Poemen:
The nature of water is yielding, and that of a stone is hard. Yet if you hang a bottle of water above the stone so that the water drips drop by drop, it will wear a hole in the stone. In the same way the word of God is tender, and our hearts are hard. So when people hear the word of God frequently, their hearts are opened to the fear of God. Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers p. 59.
Here at Mustard Seed Associates we’re in another season of listening, of allowing God’s word and plans to drip, drop by drop, until we grasp clear direction for the coming year. This, the season of Epiphany, is a time to be surprised by revelations from God. It is a season to listen deeply and respond as God’s purposes are revealed.
Juxtaposing Epiphany with Lent, in my mind, is pure liturgical genius. Our first response to God’s revelation, beyond our initial reaction of surprise and joy, is repentance. How shall we live into epiphanies received from God? As with the travelers on the road to Emmaus, sometimes our response needs to be immediate action. Often, though, we must sit with the revelation, allowing it to sink deeply into our souls and transform us. It is out of this God-infused transformation that we act most faithfully to God’s call.
- What have you been hearing from God this Epiphany?
- Which of these revelations need to be acted on now?
- Which do you need to sit with, pray about, and allow God to prepare you for?
Resources to Help You Prepare for Lent:
- A Journey into Wholeness: Soul Travel from Lent to Easter
- Lenten Prayer Cards
- Praying with Nature Prayer Cards
- FREE:
- And this comprehensive list of ideas, links, and posts
Fundraising Update
We want to again thank each of you who gave to our end-of-year fundraising campaign. Your financial support is so crucial to us at this juncture of MSA/Godspace and we are deeply grateful. Although we weren’t able to raise nearly what we had hoped, each donation brings us a step closer to being able to continue to provide resources, connections, and inspiring posts. Thank you!
If you are still interested in contrubuting it’s never too late to donate!
Shalom,
Andy Wade
Director
Mustard Seed Associates/Godspace