Making room

Matthew 3:1-3
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’ ”

Where is your wilderness?

And what does it mean?

Is it a place of retreat?

A place of refuge?

A place of sanctuary?

Or is it

a place of brokenness?

a place of  withdrawal?

a place of despair?

And in your wilderness

is there room for healing?

room for rest?

room for renewal?

room for grace to take up residence?

Wilderness it seems has no place

in our Advent greens

or our Nativity scenes

Thankfully 

Grace

needs no invitation

and will surprise us

just when we need it most

transforming our wilderness

into a place of hope,

preparing the way

for us to hear

the cry of God

born in us.

Longings fulfilled

Isaiah 29:17-20
Hope for the Future
Shall not Lebanon in a very little while
become a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest?
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a scroll,
and out of their gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant shall be no more,
and the scoffer shall cease to be;
all those alert to do evil shall be cut off—

What do we yearn to see?

What do we long to hear?

Who are the tyrants

and the scoffers

whom we allow 

to get under our skin?

And where are those barren places

in our souls

that might be made fertile?

What might it be like

to imagine dreams fulfilled?

To know hope 

that is grounded

in possibility?

It was into darkness

that God was born

with the promise

of fertility

bringing a new way of seeing

heralding a different kind of hearing

delivering the oppressed

and the hopeless

and, in the morning hush

just before the light of dawn

breaking out the good news of peace. 

Dare we hope for more?

Advent listening

Luke 1:26-28

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Perhaps Advent

provides space

to listen

To listen

to the whisper

of God

revealing

what is to come

And, hearing,

being willing

to respond

with obedience

- and more

to respond

with joy

amidst the trepidation

because nothing else

makes sense

Nothing else completes

Nothing else

except to do 

the will of God.

Now - and then

Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the shame of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Not just some future hope

to get us beyond today

Not just a comfort in grief

to see us through the darkness

God’s promise is for now

for everyday

to change the way

we live and love

to change the way 

we mourn and hope

to change the way

we experience shame

to make our reality now

one in which

God walks with us

removing the shrouds

with which we cover ourselves

piercing the armour

with which we protect 

our fragile egos

God walks with us

Embracing

Affirming

Encouraging

the beauty that is within us

Until we can see it too

And live as those freed

Freed from shame
Freed from all that limits

Freed to live life

in all its fullness
and experience love
in glorious technicolour 
Freed to be
who God created us to be
Free
Thanks be to God.

The difference

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-13

Description of Wisdom

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,

and she is easily discerned by those who love her,

and is found by those who seek her.

She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.

Reflecting on a day spent considering supervisory space:

A space filled with grace

so pervasive

that one can’t help

but bump into it

and the resultant spillage

illuminates

and transforms

encounter

A space filled with light

that seeps into

every nook and cranny

that rests

in dark crevices

unfurling itself

like a cat stretching in the sun

until a different hue is detected

inviting fresh exploration

beyond the shadows

A space filled with presence

when souls show up

prepared for encounter

accompanying one another

beyond that which is visible

in the room

tapping into a wisdom

that just needed a bit of coaxing to emerge

And the acknowledgment 

of the presence of God

in it all

The grace

The light

The presence

weaving it all together 

making whole.

Unusual suspects

Matthew 8:10-11

When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven...

Faith is often found

in the least expected places

In those who are mostly overlooked

or written off

Or those about whom

certain assumptions are made

Jesus hunted down

and called out

that air of entitlement

that was as rife then

as it is now

And he brought to the fore

those consigned to the margins

He held them up as examples

for others to follow

much to the chagrin

of the in crowd

who suddenly got to taste

what exclusion feels like.

And still Christ searches out

those who are lost

and those who are seeking

and, with a fanfare

ushers them in

to the Kingdom of God.

Advent waking

Matthew 24:44
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Through this season of Advent

Lord, lead me to the  light 

When I want to give up

illuminate the path before me

When I weary of persistence

give me the fight for one more day

When all I long for is a holy nap

Keep me awake to all around

When I plead for just five more minutes rest

Awaken my senses to the potential of a new day

When I sleep walk through all the signs around me

Awaken my senses to you

and to your presence

in all whom I encounter

In every opportunity

to serve and be served

In all that I teach

and all that I learn 

And, awake to you

may I notice the light

that pierces the darkness 

and brings hope

for all the world