Thank you to Jone MacCulloch for leading us in this month’s Spiritual Journey reflection on darkness, light, Advent, and finding periods of silence.
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.
Isaiah 9:2
For most of my life, December has meant Advent. Anticipation. Being near. Arriving.
I love the Advent wreath, a symbol of this period of waiting. Not just for the annual celebration of the Incarnation -God-as-man coming into the world. But also for the annual, intentional focus on preparing for the second coming which we call Parousia, the time when God will be all in all.
Somewhere in my spiritual maturing, the season of preparing became more than the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Pierre Teillard de Chardin wrote: We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We are blessed to be expressions of God’s love on earth. But I know that my work is not just to wait, but to act.
image courtesy of Pixaby
I think of the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. While waiting for the bridegroom to arrive, the five foolish bridesmaids did not ensure there was oil in their lamps. So they were not prepared when the groom showed up. The five wise bridesmaids had trimmed their wicks, fetched oil, filled their lamps, then watched for him. When the bridegroom arrived, they were ready to accompany him into the celebration.
Winter brings short days and long nights. It is tempting amid so much darkness to curl up, stay in, hunker down. But grace waits beyond the door, a silent invitation to go out to meet it. It sort of flips the script. Grace is waiting. Wants us to draw near. Wants us to be present. Perhaps we are being called to go out and meet it –in the places of toil, in the people who suffer, in those who live in darkness. Be the light.
in darkness, hard work
earth groans in restless stupor
let there be light
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Patricia, I love this idea, “But grace waits beyond the door, a silent invitation to go out to meet it. It sort of flips the script.” It is a call to action. Instead of waiting for us to find grace, grace invites us to come looking for it making us take an active part in finding it. Any small act of kindness we do for others brings grace to us. Bob
Patricia, a lovely Advent reflection. I like your idea that we should be working hard through the darkness, a challenge to our take care of self culture. I am challenged to think of others before myself which is one reason I need the culture of church to keep me humble and serving. Thank you for this call to action..