I write this last Advent newsletter in a Covid haze. The sickness itself wasn’t terrible but the slowness of mind and body as I recover seem to bear the biggest toll, stealing away precious hours of writing. Still, I am here (barely), attempting to write amidst the fog of thoughts and a few coughing fits.
I realize this Advent series is probably the least Jesus-y one you’ve read this season. I haven’t walked through the story of Christ’s birth or the Nativity, nor have I mentioned any key players in this narrative. Instead of turning to the pages of scripture, I turned to the pages of God’s second holy book, nature, to teach us of God’s incarnation. Some theologians have referred to nature as God’s second book of divine revelation. The great theologian, Augustine may have argued that nature is God’s first divine book. Though I firmly believe in the revelation of scripture (I do have two theological degrees after all), I don’t believe they are the only revelation about God. John Wesley said that “The world around us is a mighty volume wherewith God had declared himself.”
God has declared himself in nature. His characteristics are fully revealed in creation. The Advent story of God’s embodied presence coming to this world is already at hand in the ground we walk on and the air we breathe. As I chose the themes of this Advent season, I decided to move away from the traditional themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, to ones more tangible with provision, comfort, delight, and tenderness.
Because when hope feels elusive, provision reveals our everyday blessings filling our hearts with thankfulness.
When peace seems impossible, comfort wraps us in the presence of friends on a snowy morning.
When joy feels fleeting, delight offers a glimpse of light in a darkened winter sky.
When love seems too large to grasp, tenderness sings a simple song to us through an open window.
Nature is always revealing God to us. Yet I have missed much of it because most of my spiritual life has been lived indoors with my head buried in the scriptures. God didn’t start with the Bible, he started with “Let there be light”. This Advent series was an invitation to take our spiritual lives outdoors, a church without walls or programs, or expensive sound systems. It was an invitation to let God speak through creation and for us to learn how to listen.
I hope you have enjoyed this new way of engaging the Advent season. I hope we have all learned from God’s second holy book and are beginning to understand that God speaks through scripture as much as he does through Chickadees and the falling snow.
Welcome to the last week of Wild & Wondrous Advent! Below you will find a few simple elements to engage in throughout the week. Near the end of the week or once you’ve done your Wondrous Walk, I encourage you to come back here and join in the discussion in the comment section. This series was created to encourage you to engage in your spiritual journey more contemplatively through connection to God’s wild and wondrous creation.
A reading to ponder
A charitable heart…is a heart which is burning with love for the whole of creation…
He who has such a heart cannot see or call to mind a creature without his eyes being filled with tears by reason of the immense compassion which seizes his heart; a heart which is softened and can no longer bear to see or learn from others of any suffering, even the smallest pain, being inflicted upon a creature.
Saint Issac The Syrian, Mystic Treatises (7th century CE)
A scripture to contemplate
Luke 1:78,79
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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 Luke 1:57-80
*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.
Question to ponder: How do you sense God’s tenderness in creation?
A creation care activity to engage
This email may be a tad late for this activity but if you are still Christmas shopping, I encourage you to shop secondhand! There are many “gently used” or “gently worn” items out there just waiting to be repurposed. One way we can care for the earth is by not always shopping for brand-new items. If you haven’t heard of fast fashion, I encourage you to take some time to read about how devasting this is to our planet. There are great shops in town and even online that offer quality second-hand items for clothes and toys.
An opportunity to share in the comment section to process
After doing your Wild & Wondrous Walk this week, come back here and share your experience!
Where did you walk? What was the weather like? Where did you see God’s tenderness in creation? Was it difficult/easy to stay present in the moment?
Romans 1:20
I agree with Colette’s premise that we are so overwhelmed by our material world that we forget how our Lord came to us. We often forget to “be still” and know Him in his beautiful creation.