As I write this first week, I am distracted watching the perching birds outside my window. They are surprisingly active despite the rain, happily pecking away at my bird feeder and DIY suet. I am beginning to learn their names and features. The Juncos have dark brown heads while the Chickadees have thick streaks of white around their neck and jaw like a cozy scarf. I struggle to figure out who is who, there are many species visiting the backyard these days but I enjoy guessing.
This flutter of life outside my window draws me to a place of quiet attention. It feels like a stark contrast to the parking lot of my local New Seasons as people briskly walk and hunt for their Thanksgiving ingredients. Yet, it is not so different from the Chickadees gathering at my feeder. We all swirl and perch and peck our way to sustenance but it is the birds that have figured out how to sing while doing it. Their song is one of work and worship, declaring their thankfulness to God who provides all their needs. I wonder how we could learn to sing a similar tune.
Welcome to the first week of Wild & Wondrous Advent! Traditionally, each week in Advent represents a different theme such as hope, peace, joy, and love. I am doing something different and using the themes of provision, comfort, delight, and tenderness. When I reflect on the revival of Jesus as a babe, these themes feel more tangible. The theme of hope, for example, feels far-reaching at times but I can easily acknowledge the provisions of God in my life. The overall theme of the Advent season is waiting and time after time, I see God providing, comforting, delighting, and holding each one of us tenderly as we wait for the fullness of Hope to come.
Below you will find a few simple elements to engage in throughout the week. Near the end of the weekend or once you’ve done your Wondrous Walk, I encourage you to come back here and join in the discussion in the comment section. I hope this series will be a prompt for you to engage in your spiritual journey more contemplatively and connect you to God’s wild and wondrous creation.
A reading to ponder
The way to any universal idea is to proceed through a concrete encounter. There are a number of ways to say the same thing: the one is the way to the many, the specific is the way to the spacious, the now is the way to the always, the here is the way to the everywhere, the material is the way to the spiritual, the visible is away to the invisible. When we see contemplatively, we know that we live in a fully sacramental universe, where everything is a pointer and an epiphany.
Richard Rohr, Just This (Page 10)
A scripture to contemplate
Jesus says in Matthew 6:26, 27 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
What word or phrase stands out to you in this passage? Spend some time in Lectio Divina* prayer this week contemplating this passage and the surrounding passages from Matthew 6:26-34.
*Lectio Divina means sacred reading in Latin. It is an ancient and contemplative way of reading and praying scripture. The link above is a printable PDF that walks you through the Lectio steps.
A wild and wondrous walk to connect
Plan at least one wild and wondrous walk this next week, lasting around 30 minutes. Choose a spot that you are drawn to, a place to speak to your heart, or if you are short on time, a simple walk in your neighborhood will do. Begin your walk with a minute of deep breaking, inhaling for 6 seconds and exhaling for 6 seconds. Then begin your walk. Stay open and present in the moment as you walk. Ask yourself the five senses questions: What do I feel, smell, taste, hear, and see?
Question to ponder: Where do I see God and God’s provisions in creation?
Creation care activity to engage
Care for the living creatures around you. Below you will find a few links on how to make DIY bird feeders and suet (it is much easier than you think). For my none DIYers, buy a bird feeder from a local shop and support a small business!
Birdseed feeders
Pinecone bird feeders (super easy)
Gather a few medium to large size pinecones, tie a string to the top, smother in peanut butter, roll it in bird seed and hang it on a tree!
Suet feeders
An opportunity to share in the comment section to process
After you have done your Wild & Wondrous Walk this week, come back here and share what your experience was!
Where did you do your walk? What was the weather like? Where did you see God in creation? Was it difficult or easy to stay open and present?
Cover Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
I don't know if many of you will wander back to this space after doing your wild and wondrous walk but I will show up here each week, and I hope you will join me! So I did my walk this week and it was quite humorous. I really tried to be slow and contemplative but as usual, I scared most of the wildlife away because I'm like ogre crashing through the woods. It's hard for me to be slow. I can be silent and actually a prefer silence but slow, that's a different story. I did however experience God's provision through a beautiful walnut tree. It was completely bare of any leaves but it's fruit was all over the ground.