A thought from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent. ”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

The people walking in darkness

   have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

   a light has dawned. 

- Isaiah 9:2

Some Advent Resources

I've been spending quite a lot of time online, looking for quotes, poems, videos, etc. So I thought I'd share a few of my findings with you.

This is a video produced by a local Catholic media studio. 

Advent. from Spirit Juice Studios on Vimeo.

I am a big fan of Mark Driscoll's sermons. He is a pastor out at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Right now he is going through the Gospel of Luke.

I encourage you to listen to as much as you can, but especially the early sermons on the birth of Christ.


If you are at all into Advent, you should subscribe to Biblegateway.com's Advent Newsletter. This is a great way to read the appropriate Scriptures for the season.
Click here for a link to subscribe.

I will close with two poems by John Donne. Interestingly, they run in succession. Notice the last line of the first and the first line of the second.

Annunciation

Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created, thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;
Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;
Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.

Nativity

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.

--John Donne (1572-1631)

Hope: a joyful expectation

If you have been following my regular blog, you might have noticed the sparseness of posts. It is not that I don't want to write, I just haven't had the inspiration lately. Already this has seeped into my Advent blog. I apologize. 

One of my favorite seasons of the year is Advent. But this year, some how, I am not "feeling it." According to the Advent wreath this theme does not come up for another couple weeks, but for the last week or so I have been praying for JOY. Joy that surpasses my circumstances and my surroundings. A Joy only found in Christ.

It's been a slow process, but the other day during my small group, and idea popped into my head. A friend and I lead a small group for our church that is centered on prayer. Each week the attendees fill out index cards with their prayer requests and then we redistribute them to pray for each other. Last week was the final session, so I handed back the cards from previous weeks and asked everyone to share the answers God had given. It was interesting, going around the room. Many of us had prayed long-term prayers and had not yet heard a "BAM" answer the Lord. And it got us thinking . . . Even when we don't see the "BAM" answers, our faith has proved that God's hand is indeed at work-- most evidently in our hearts as we learn to trust Him more.

I wonder if the people of God understood this (approximately 3000-4000 years ago) as they were waiting for redemption, for a messiah. Way back in the Garden, the Lord spoke of One who would come to crush the Serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). And all through the Old Testament prophets spoke of One who would come-- to rule over Israel (Micah 5:2), to be Immanuel, God with Us (Isaiah 7:14). But to wait so long for this "BAM" answer from God? I think none of us have the faith to wait 4000 years for anything. But it was in fact the lineage of expectation that the people of God passed down from generation to generation. There were, unfortunately, quite a few generations in the middle who did not adhere to the covenants of God, but the Lord's promises were secure.

One quiet night in the fields of Bethlehem the Lord finally proclaimed through a heavenly choir: "BAM! Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord!" (Luke 2:10-11)

This first week of Advent has been about Hope. Hope makes me think of the seasons. There are calendar seasons and life seasons-- each pointing us towards something. An expectation of what is to come. I know that for me, this is what some would call a "dry" season in my life. I'm waiting on the Lord for quite a few things. But the hope is that this is just a season. It will eventually fade into the next. And I will look back and probably wonder why I was so stressed and faithless. As our life seasons trail along (sometimes at a tortoise's pace) the calendar year keeps plowing ahead. Advent will happen whether my heart is ready for it or not. I just pray that I will be able to live in hope--in joyful expectation of Christ's birth and Life with us.

A re-introduction to Advent and "Lineage of Expectation"

Dear friends,

If you joined me last year, you are surely familiar with Advent. But for those new readers, this reintroduction will serve as an education.

In latin the word "adventus" means "coming." Within the context of western Christianity, Advent is the season of four weeks leading up to Christmas--the celebration of Christ's birth. It is a time of joyful expectation and preparation. The four weeks are marked by the four Sundays, on which the candles of the Advent wreath are lit. Each week/candle carries a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

I will be writing within these themes, focusing on poems and reflections from some of the great writers in Christendom, as well as passages of Scripture that point to the coming of the Messiah. Christ's ancestry was indeed a Lineage of Expectation--a chronology of hopeful longing and preparation.

Last year I found this prayer by Henri Nouwen. It's such a good start to the Advent season that I couldn't resist posting it again. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the origins of its publication. If anyone knows where this prayer originated, please let me know.

Advent prayer by Henri Nouwen.

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Amen.

Welcome Back to Advent.

It's been a year since we last met on this page. Let me bring you up to speed on what has changed. First, the design has is a little more snazzy. And secondly, blogger now allows tabs, so you can find all of last year's posts on the Archives page.

Keep in tune for the very first Advent 2010 post early next week. Until then, enjoy your leftover Turkey.

- Becca

Happy Birthday Jesus!

May you all have a joyful Christmas day! Here are a couple more poems to celebrate His birth:
The Risk of Birth (Christmas, 1973)
by Madeleine L’Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour & truth were trampled by scorn-
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn-
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

--------------------

Thank you, God, for being born,
You who first invented birth
(Universe, galaxies, the earth).
When your world was tired & worn
You came laughing on the morn.

Thank you, most amazing Word
For your silence in the womb
Where there was so little room
Yet the still small voice was heard
Throughout a planet dark & blurred.

Merry Christmas! Wondrous day!
Maker of the universe,
You the end, & you the source
Come to share in human clay
And, yourself, to show the Way.

-Madeleine L’Engle

a poem by Luci Shaw

This time of the year
the new-born child
is everywhere
planted in madonnas’ arms
hay mows, stables,
in palaces or farms,
or quaintly, under snowed gables,
gothic angular or baroque plump,
naked or elaborately swathed,
encircled by Della Robbia wreaths,
garnished with whimsical
partridges and pears,
drummers and drums,
lit by oversize stars,
partnered with lambs,
peace doves, sugar plums,
bells, plastic camels in sets of three
as if these were what we needed
for eternity.

But Jesus the Man is not to be seen.
There are some who are wary, these days,
of beards and sandalled feet.

Yet if we celebrate, let it be
that He
has invaded our lives with purpose,
striding over our picturesque traditions,
our shallow sentiment,
overturning our cash registers,
wielding His peace like a sword,
rescuing us into reality,
demanding much more
than the milk and the softness
and the mother warmth
of the baby in the storefront creche,
(only the Man would ask
all, of each of us)
reaching out
always, urgently, with strong
effective love
(only the man would give
His life and live
again for love of us).

Oh come, let us adore Him–
Christ–the Lord.

Why is this season different from all others . . ?

The season of Christmas holds a unique place in our culture. No other time do you find people of all ages throwing caution to the wind and plunging headlong into giddy anticipation for a single day. The traditional becomes familiar and one bats an eye as we bring out the throngs of evergreen, epilepsy-causing flash of twinkle lights, bulging tins of sweets, and jolly-induced tunes. But what makes this season any different? What causes us to embrace these schemes that deplete our pocket books and cause our nerves to fray.


Many things can be credited to our dear friend, Tevye the milkman's wise word: TRADITION! We do these things because that's just what you do. And for my family, who wisely does not embraces a commercial Christmas, the value of tradition remains the same. It is our annual trend to drive to Colorado for Christmas--to spend time with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. But this year, for the first time in ages, we were knocked off our pedestal of familiarity and made to re-examine the intelligence of driving through the Midwest's winter storm. Needless to say, survival out-ranked tradition. And though our hearts are sad, we have been given the opportunity to re-examine Christmas's place in our hearts, not just our geographical location on this special day.


What folly we find ourselves in when all we can think about is what we have done in all the years past. God is not above shaking things up when we lose track of His Son.
So, this year we will celebrate our Savior's birth in a Midwestern winter wonderland with a beautiful Charlie Brown tree, and enough Christmas hymns to last all evening. Traditions are good, wonderful, in fact, but this Christmas I am grateful for the detour God has placed in our hearts.

"I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K

This year, I have discovered a love for what I call Christmas ballads. These are usually contemporary Christmas songs that have a message or tell a story, but aren't necessarily your traditional "carol." I really like this one by Relient K. The lyrics are profound. And you can upload it for FREE from Amazon.com!

"I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life
Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

God will not abandon the work of His hands

During the mundane weeks when my days are simply filled with going to work, cooking dinner and checking facebook, I find myself wondering if I am really following God’s purpose for my life. Advent brings to sharp focus the arc of God’s plan in history, but what does that mean for my simple day-to-day?

Over the summer I found a verse from the psalms which has stuck with me and reminded me that even in the mundane, God is at work. Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands.”
I often don’t feel like I am doing anything noteworthy, much less noteworthy for God’s Kingdom . . . but God’s love endures forever, and that good work that He started, He is not going to cast it away.


I wonder if Mary felt the same pull at her soul though . . . a desire to honor the Lord and live a life pleasing to Him, but at the same time feeling trapped by the mundane day-to-day survival. Throughout history and throughout Scripture we see that God is a God with His own standards. He did not choose Mary to be the mother of the Savior for her status in society, her talents, or even her friends (although her family line had something to do with it). The Master of the Universe chose a simple girl from Nazareth because her heart was open to her Heavenly Father’s will.

As much as I would love to claim this same humility, this past week I have found myself lacking Mary’s mindset. Instead of fearing God, I find myself caught up in the fear of man, and seeking to push ahead by my own strength. What folly! If God can breathe the galaxies into existence (Genesis 1), and the Holy Spirit can grow a child in Mary’s womb, then why do I fear? What do I have to feel anxious about?


I want to be like those shepherds out in the fields of Bethlehem. I want to be surprised by the Joy of my Savior’s birth. I want to run without abandon to see His precious face. I want to know and remember deep in my soul that God became human for me. Since the beginning of time, God will not abandon the work of His hand. And with the angel choruses I say, “Amen!”