SpiritCare Weekly Meditation, December 2, 1021

 Advent Blessings to you all! 

The four weeks of Advent are a blessed reprieve,  especially for those of us who simply cannot spring from Thanksgiving into Christmas with alacrity. I am writing this on Dec. 2, and already two people have told me that their tree is decorated, and gifts have been bought, wrapped, and mailed. I smile. I am simply not that organized. However, in all fairness, nowhere have I read that Advent is a time to brush up on our organizational skills. It is a time to prepare our hearts once more for Christ, and that preparation probably looks different for each one of us.   

Certainly the season of Advent is not mentioned in the Bible (although Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Zachariah were very much living in the spirit of Advent). Sister Joan Chittister in her beautiful book, The Liturgical Year, writes that " the earliest mention of a period of preparation for Christmas did not exist until 490 in Gaul, which is now modern France." Far from France, I grew up in West Texas and I remember asking my mother about Advent. She simply replied, "That is for Catholics." The result of that comment is that Advent has always seemed mysterious to me. My Methodist mother actually gave me a great gift.  At times, we must simply accept there is much that we cannot completely understand. However, one thing I have learned is that Advent is for all of us who are on a journey to make our hearts a dwelling place for God. Truthfully, that is all of us, whether we realize it or not.     

   

I leave you with the first verse of my favorite Advent hymn, People Look East. The music is a traditional French carol. The words were written in 1928 by Eleanor Farjeon.   

  

People look east, 

the time is near 

of the crowning of the year. 

Make your house fair as you are able, 

trim the hearth and set the table. 

People look east: Love the Guest is on the way.        

  

For those of you who are celebrating Chanukah 2021/5782, I leave you with this blessing from Rabbi Yael Levy (awayin.org):  

 

As the story relates: Amid the rubble of the desecrated Temple, a tiny drop of oil was found.

 The drop of oil was lit not knowing what would be -- 

and it burned brighter and longer than anyone thought possible.
Chanukah encourages us to lift up the light, even when so much lies in ruin.
Chanukah calls us to act even as we do not know if our actions will bring the results we long for.
Chanukah declares, do not get stuck in despair. Remember that a small act can bring great blessing.
Chanukah says, act for the sake of the sacred. Act with reverence and love. Miracles abound and so much is possible.
Chanukah Blessings to All.
Rabbi Yael Levy   

   

Holy One, help us to embrace all faiths, all times, and all the ways You show yourself to us.  

In gratitude we pray, 

Amen 

 Love and blessings, to all,   

Rev. Sue Ann