Yesterday I shared that Advent begins the spiritual new year. Thinking about the concept of new year I realized what a wonderful difference there is between the cultural celebration of a new year and the spiri
tual celebration of Advent.
The cultural new year urges us to make resolutions of the fix-it variety: lose weight, exercise more, be more prompt, be less negative, save more and spend less - the list of possible fixings of our self is endless.
Advent as a New Year asks a completely different kind of attention; we prepare our selves to become open to the birth of God in the world. And on a personal level of awareness, we become willing to prepare for receiving God into our human heart in a way that allows for new life to be manifested in our living.
Manifest is one of my favorite words as it means 'to become palpably evident.' The phrase palpably evident brings to mind LIFE that is seen: flowers, trees, critters, art, and yes, we wondrous beings called persons. And Advent reminds us that in order for new life to become palpably evident: seen, we must be willing to believe it will indeed be born even when it is not yet seen.
Virtually all living things come from seeds that must germinate: they are generally planted within darkness of soil and then undergo a process where the shell of the seed cracks open and the life inside begins to expand into becoming the life that was hidden within the hard shell.
The shell holding the life within seeds is a paradox; the shell is needed in order to protect the dormant life and yet for the life to become manifest; seen, the shell must crack open, a process that requires planting into soil, fertilizing or nurturing the soil, watering and providing light.
As I begin Advent I am reminded that even at age 60 there are seeds within my being that are still protected by a hard shell and are awaiting my willingness to allow God to be the gardener of my soul. My part is a deliberate willingness to be open to the grace of God's love; to allow that which is an obstacle to the roots of the seed to be removed and to water the soil with gratitude and turn myself to the warmth of God's love in faith.
When I need to fortify my faith in things as yet unseen and in the basic goodness God created I turn to one of my favorite passages of scripture. Psalm 139:13-14
It was You who created my inmost self,
and put me together in my mother's womb;
for all these mysteries I thank you:
for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of Your works.
The cultural new year urges us to make resolutions of the fix-it variety: lose weight, exercise more, be more prompt, be less negative, save more and spend less - the list of possible fixings of our self is endless.
Advent as a New Year asks a completely different kind of attention; we prepare our selves to become open to the birth of God in the world. And on a personal level of awareness, we become willing to prepare for receiving God into our human heart in a way that allows for new life to be manifested in our living.
Manifest is one of my favorite words as it means 'to become palpably evident.' The phrase palpably evident brings to mind LIFE that is seen: flowers, trees, critters, art, and yes, we wondrous beings called persons. And Advent reminds us that in order for new life to become palpably evident: seen, we must be willing to believe it will indeed be born even when it is not yet seen.
Virtually all living things come from seeds that must germinate: they are generally planted within darkness of soil and then undergo a process where the shell of the seed cracks open and the life inside begins to expand into becoming the life that was hidden within the hard shell.
The shell holding the life within seeds is a paradox; the shell is needed in order to protect the dormant life and yet for the life to become manifest; seen, the shell must crack open, a process that requires planting into soil, fertilizing or nurturing the soil, watering and providing light.
As I begin Advent I am reminded that even at age 60 there are seeds within my being that are still protected by a hard shell and are awaiting my willingness to allow God to be the gardener of my soul. My part is a deliberate willingness to be open to the grace of God's love; to allow that which is an obstacle to the roots of the seed to be removed and to water the soil with gratitude and turn myself to the warmth of God's love in faith.
When I need to fortify my faith in things as yet unseen and in the basic goodness God created I turn to one of my favorite passages of scripture. Psalm 139:13-14
It was You who created my inmost self,
and put me together in my mother's womb;
for all these mysteries I thank you:
for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of Your works.
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