USHERED INTO THE NEW

Lingering in the last days and moments of the old year while waiting to usher in the new, I wonder. I wonder what awaits me? Changes, yes. New year's resolutions, no. I hardly ever make a list on the eve of the year to mark all the things that I will do: weight to lose, closets to clean, goals to accomplish, it all seems exhausting! Could it be more about how I will be in the coming season and less about what I will do.

What if the New Year was about fruitfulness and how the King has called me to yield fruit as I am planted by streams of water? Even though I live in New England and most streams have frozen still, I am somehow aware that being productive is important. Being able to bear fruit that will last looks like something, even in winter's chill. The streams of living water that refresh the soul (John 4: 4-15) are within, and maybe my goal in the coming year needs to be about making sure I can hear the water within my soul running free and clear; the world, with all its clamoring and clutter stops up the river at times. All that we value and hold dear too often costs us dearly.


Our world prizes prosperity; and yet, it often appears preposterous that we should seek and save for all this accumulation when the King came and emptied Himself and gave. What has He given to us that we might use to yield a harvest? What if, at the end of this year, we consider what we bring to the world rather than what we can gain or accomplish, or order and organize?

If I started with love, how would the world look, how would my world be different? It might be a little kinder and gentler and less about me and my lists. It could be something far greater than me, it might be about changing the world with the love I've been given. Life always begins in the small things; the "little way of love" is a simple and supremely challenging path to begin at the cusp of the New Year.

Come join me on the journey to a better you- oddly enough it begins in the heart and with love. You are loved, delighted in, rejoiced over and you can walk in confidence because God is with you. He is a mighty God and we love because He first loved us. Try it and see; no matter what your situation, circumstance, relationships, begin to bring love and watch what happens. It may not be easy, but take a big leap this year, and remember, "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." And, "Love never fails," 1 Corinthians 13:7-8.

Medicine from Sacred Scriptures:

"The Lord your God is with you,

 He is mighty to save.

 He will take great delight in you, 

He will quiet you with His love, 

He will rejoice over you with singing." 

Zephaniah 3:17

ADVENT'S KING

May the Good News bring you great joy; it is for all people.

Light shatters

Darkness flees

Heaven's glory invades humanity.

Love descends

Hope soars

As we bow to adore

The King of Kings

The Prince of Peace

His the Kingdom that will never cease.

dhallenbeck 12/17

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

Luke 2:11

ADVENT'S LIGHT

Our home rang with laughter and was crowded with dear friends last night, but the candles remained unlit. I doubt anyone noticed, but I felt a certain sadness at the end of the evening for missing that detail. I had hoped for that perfect holiday cheer, with candles and food and beautifully set tables, instead it was chaos and joy and only a chandelier reflected into the dark of the night. But maybe this is the essence of Christmas: light shines forth into the darkness, not candles, but light refelcted from us for the joy of the world.

What a beautiful truth. "This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But, if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin," 1 John 1:5-7

John's words echo from his Gospel:

"In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness  has not understood it...

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world," 

John 1:4-5, 9

The fellowship in our home did not need the light of candles. It was fellows walking together, sharing the light of God. Kindness and gentleness poured forth from lives intertwined by years of memories shared.

I wonder, do we bring the light of God to the world by the kindness we show?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"The King is everywhere present, and observes what is done...let us show forth in our life much gentleness, much purity, for we have a King who beholds all our actions continually. In order then that this light  may ever richly enlighten us, let us gladly accept these bright beams, for so shall we enjoy both the good things present and those to come, through the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ."

St. John Chrysostom

Homily VI on John 14.25

ADVENT'S ANGELS

Botticelli's Madonna. Glory and beauty pours into Mary's heart as the angel Gabriel descends and frightens her, makes astonishing announcements, and then he leaves her to live her ordinary extraordinary life. I wonder did she sense the heavenly presence in her days expecting her first born Son? And when He was born into the world, did she see angels hovering?

I miss the angels at times, I miss the holy in the ordinary. His presence and peace within is muted and muffled by the push and pull of the weight of the world. Why, I wonder, do I carry these burdens when the burden carrier comes and carries me.

The handmaiden of the Lord carries the Shepherd who carries and leads her.

"See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, 

and His arm rules for Him. 

See, His reward is with Him

 and His recompense accompanies Him.

He tends His flock like a Shepherd: 

He gathers His lambs in His arms and He carries them close to His heart; 

He gently leads those who are with young." 

Isaiah 40:10-11

The Savior comes announced by angels and worshiped by the same. Am I aware of the angels' presence in my days (they are ministering spirits sent to serve us Hebrews 1:14)?

And do I feel the beat of the Shepherd's heart as He carries me.


Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"When God brings His first-born into the world, He says, 

'Let all God's angels worship Him.'" 

Hebrews 1:6

ADVENT'S CALL TO ARISE

Waking in the dark mornings of Advent is a challenge. Rising and setting out, putting my feet onto the cold ground, is neither inviting nor comforting; at times my soul feels like this in the world- I'd rather stay wrapped up in my comfortable prayers than face the harsh reality of the world we live in. Yesterday's church service was full of despair: the cold Christians in Jordan needing blankets as the Middle East continues to persecute God's people, a 35 year old husband died unexpectedly and left his wife, of just one year, planning his funeral during the days before Christmas, sisters and brothers struggle with addiction and the world keeps breaking around me like glass in the dark night. Lives and nations, peoples and places cry out, my heart cries out, for hope, for light, for peace.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, 

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, 

but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you."

 Isaiah 60:1-2

Light comes. It always comes into darkness- into the deep darkness of morning slumber, into senseless violence in a war-torn world where terror reigns, and even into the dark despair of our own hearts as we try to tip-toe through the minefields of broken relationships and unmet expectations. Hope comes. It catches us by surprise- a "feel good news story," a humanitarian's good deeds coming to our attention, a story of God meeting a friend in need with His presence. It is astonishing how our hearts betray us into believing. Eternity, set in my heart, will open the door for heaven's hush to heal me.

I most long for peace, the quiet confidence that all will be well and I can relax. I unexpectedly awoke this morning with that peace. It was shocking really, to wake and not feel the rising panic of the to-do list, or the sinking feeling of not having done enough; they are the see-saw I live on emotionally most days. Peace steadies me and helps me become aware of the glory waiting to rise upon me. 

Today light came, and hope and peace quieted every murmuring noise within. A King is coming bearing gifts for all people. What is it you are most in need of this Advent?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"I promise you a Kingdom 

and let present things be the ground of your trust, your trust in Me." 

St. John Chrysostom 

 Homily II on Eutropius

ADVENT'S TEACHER

Trees bow low, branches break under summer sun while peaches ripen. The harvest waited and few noticed the gold of the small firm fruit. A friend invited me to pick in a neighbor's little orchard and I reveled in the sweetness of the deal- it was free! Jam could be made without a price paid; I struggled to carry the overflowing basket of nature's gift. I thought of the peaches today as I pondered Advent's Teacher.


I wonder, with Mary's yes, the cost of the fruit in her soul? The glory, yes, in moments remembering the angel's announcement, and in visiting Elizabeth to share the pregnant moment together. But what of the quiet times- the silent treatment from Joseph, the sidelong glances from relatives as she carried the heavy weight of the Son within, what price did she pay to hold heaven here?

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked 

or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 

But his delight is in the law of the Lord

 and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, 

which yields its fruit in season 

and whose leaf does not wither." 

Psalm 1:1-3

 What is the cost in my soul as I bend under the weight of His glory in me? Roots going down into this stream are pure gold: love, peace, acceptance all soak up grace and a life of blessedness unfurls and unfolds in beautiful moments of holy joy. The branches that break as His life takes root in me? Many. Anger, selfishness, pride- the awareness of it exposes the barrenness in me.

I thought the Christ-Child would be my teacher this Advent season, an easy lesson on laying down my burdens, because His are easy and light. No, it appears Mary comes to teach me to accept and embrace the One who comes to make His home in me as well.

Will I rest where He has planted me, rooted and grounded in love, knowing the streams of living water run at the cost of His life, a ransom for many, a Mighty Redeemer is He.

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"This is what the Lord says-

your Redeemer,

The Holy One of Israel;

'I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go."

Isaiah 48:17

ADVENT'S HELP

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

He will not let your foot slip- He who watches over you will not slumber."

 Psalm 121

We have snow now: marketing snow that gets skiers to the mountains and also real snow, snow and ice and cold. And a car frozen in our driveway. A friend needed help getting unstuck, so we found ice-melt and poured it liberally around her tires, trusting it would do the trick. The black ice was still nasty to navigate with old summer tires, but she'll get there.

I wonder where I can find ice-melt for my heart?  My heart is sometimes stuck in grief, remembering those I have loved and lost; I also spin in the every day, "should do this, need to do that." And it's frozen by media, terrorism, trauma and stories; people's suffering weighs on me as I wade through the world. I forget the most basic news. Not fake news, not CBS, NBC, FOX or CNN or even BBC. It is the Good News that there is great joy for all people. That God watches over us and He has come to help us. 

The way forward is to lift our eyes and look for help. God is with us, Emmanuel, and He does not want us to be afraid. We can relax and stop spinning the anxious wheels in our heads. We can trust the One who made the heavens and the earth, He is not sleeping on the job; He sees the chaos and the turmoil, the evil and the sin and He enters in bringing joy. Perhaps joy is the ice-melt for our hearts. 

A Babe in a manger reaches out His hand to you and offers you His gentle presence. And His help. You do not need to be afraid. 

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"For I am the Lord your God,

 who takes hold of your right and and says,

 'Do not fear; I will help you. 

Do not be afraid...

for I myself will help you,' 

declares the Lord, your Redeemer,

 the Holy One of Israel." 

Isaiah 41:13-14

ADVENT'S STRENGTH

Recently I shattered the top of an old fashioned lantern- it was perched on a table in a new place; it crashed spectacularly on our front hall tile. Wow. What a sound, what a mess. It is how my soul feels at times living in this world- as I watch the glass shards fall all around me in lives and hearts and people learn to tip toe around the brokenness of our being.

It is wearying to constantly clear the glass, sweep the mess, pick myself up again and realize I do not need to clean up another's chaos, I can only gather my own shards, and even this is too much for me. There is One who swoops down into my mess and helps me. He strengthens me for what must be done. I must go on, my weak knees need to continue the journey, my feeble arms must carry on.

Yet a star shines, a promise is given that God is with us: Emmanuel. He comes to give us strength. Strength to hope, strength to believe, strength to bring the light and love of God into the darkness.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men shall stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

 Isaiah 40:28-31

May the Holy One come and carry you on eagle's wings.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"The Babe that I carry carries me, says Mary, 

and He has lowered His wings and taken and placed me between His pinions, and mounted to the air; and a promise has been given to me that height and depth and all shall be my Son's."

Ephraim the Syrian

Hymn XII on the Nativity

ADVENT'S GIFT

So much of our focus in the holiday season is on gifts. "What will I bring to the party? What shall I give to this one or that? How can I find that "perfect" gift? And the gift giving even seeps into our carols, "Yet, what can I give Him; I will give to Him my heart." What if the gift was for us and not from us? What if Advent held a gift for us each day?

Today's gift is comfort. Listen to these words of Isaiah:

"Comfort, comfort My people, 

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and proclaim to her

that her hard service has been completed;

that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received double from the Lord's hand

double for all her sin.

Isaiah 40:1-2

God longs to comfort us; He speaks tenderly. He quiets us with His love. He watches us perhaps with bewilderment, like a Father perplexed at an anxious child. 

"My child, I long to comfort you. You can find no comfort here, on this earth, in others, in the haste and hurry of your days. Turn to Me and trust Me with your sorrows, with your disappointment and unmet expectations. I know the love you have for your family and friends. Do not fear, let Me comfort you and then you can bring the comfort I have given you to those you meet. My comfort is the promise of My presence, Emmanuel, I am with you. I come to dwell with you and never will I leave you or forsake you. This is the Good News: I have come to save My people from their sins."

Can we allow ourselves to be comforted this Advent season; to go to Him who is able to keep us from falling and let Him hold us in His arms. Sometimes we stumble on our own self-sufficiency. Perhaps we could make room for His comforting Presence.

Medicine from Sacred Writing:

"Blessed is Your flock since You are the Gate of it,

 and You are the Staff, You are the Shepherd, You are the Drink, You are the salt, 

You the Visitor. 

Hail to the Only-Begotten, 

that bears abundantly all manner of consolations."

Hymn VI On the Nativity 

 Ephraim The Syrian 

ADVENT'S SECRET

Christmas cards are rolling in and the pressure is on! Bake the cookies, send the cards, mail the packages, buy the gifts, wrap them, tie the bows, hang the garlands, make the gingerbread, decorate the tree and on and on it goes. How do we maneuver these demands in a meaningful way? Perhaps we can pray for every card that comes in as we light the Advent candles at dinner time, and we have done this for years. Or maybe we limit the purchases to only a few and buy gifts for those in need. All this trimming has been done to the gluttony of Christmas activities, yet, I am searching still..I wonder if there is a "secret" to getting through the holiday in a holy way?

Might Advent hold a secret to comfort me as I navigate The Nativity's festivities?

What if it was really simple?

What if it was hope?

A Babe came in a manger bringing hope to a girl with an unplanned pregnancy, it brought hope to the lowly shepherds out on a hill and it brought hope to a world caught in political tension that was filled with hatred and oppression. No one expected an angelic announcement and a Divine visitation, nor, I am afraid, do we. We expect catalogs and cards, presents and pews full of family. If I open my heart to the hope of Advent- that God sees me and knows me, and longs to reveal Himself to me then I rightly place my expectation in His unfailing love. Our hearts are longing to believe everything will be okay- in our world, in our families, in our children's lives, and yet oftentimes it looks so dark. Have faith. No matter how dark our world seems, "the people walking in darkness have seen a great light," Isaiah 9:2.

What are you hoping for this Advent? An end to violence and hatred? Help for the poor and marginalized? A cure for a sick loved one? A way back home for a child you love?  Let hope in the Light of the World comfort you as you walk this Advent season. And may Emmanuel, God with us, give us hope to believe.

Medicine from Sacred Writing

“He, the Son of God, gives on His day secret comforts.”

Hymn XIV on the Nativity
Ephraim The Syrian

ADVENT'S SMILE

What if each person we encountered this Advent season received a smile? Could we bring the love the world craves instead of adding to the critical conversation? “Make me an instrument of Your peace…Where there is hatred let me sow Your love…” Another song our world needs a little more of.

What a gift to give: a smile; a warm greeting of love and a tender expression of care. The power of love is a force to be reckoned with. When we love, we can change the world. Start small, some of us need to, because loving is a verb, and it is hard work to go against our own self-protective, and sometimes selfish tendencies. Begin with your family by smiling and greeting them with kindness. Let this be your first Monday of Advent’s act ~ kindness. When you have been able to smile with kindness on the ones closest to you, try the stranger. Witness the power of one person who simply loves. One came two thousand years ago from heaven and loved; He changed the world.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

“How fearless are You, O Babe, that You let all have You;

 upon every one that meets with You, You do smile; 

to everyone that sees You, You are gladsome! 

Your love is one that hungers after all.”

 Hymn IX on the Nativity

Ephraim The Syrian

ADVENT'S JOY

“This is the month which brings all manner of joy…

Lo! The First-born has opened unto us

 the feast of His coming as a treasure-house.”

Ephraim The Syrian's Hymns on the Nativity

Joy tip-toes softly, stealing into hearts, warming homes, lifting spirits. Who doesn’t need joy these days? We all know the song: “We need a little Christmas, right this very minute…” yet I wager it is wonder and joy that our hearts most long for.

On this first Sunday of Advent intentionally name your longing for this season- beyond hand-knit sweaters and Christmas cookie swaps. Take time to consider your heart and what you are hoping for. Dare to peer into the Manger for the treasures held there. Open wide your heart to Him and let the joys He has to offer fill your soul this Advent. And then, go, share the joy and love you find. Our world is waiting for us to bring the gifts this Babe in the manger bears.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, 

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

 Romans 15:13

SUSTAINED THROUGH THE HARVEST

Summer peaches ripen and trees heavy laden with harvest beg for relief, someone to come and lift the weight of the fruit from branches bent. My soul bends now at the weight of this new season; it is at once fruitfulness and emptiness. Trees clap their hands and empty their wares. I, too, am invited to give praise and release the weight of all the years behind me. 

 I do give thanks and bear witness that the work of our hands has not been our own, that God has blessed the work of our hands. And yet, I long to interfere with His vineyard, His plantings. In my secret soul would like to keep planting, replant or perhaps even transplant all those olive shoots into my own soil.

Seems silly to think that a prophet who wrote thousands of years ago speaks of my life, but the words ring so true I think God might be smiling as I read:

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west...Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth." Isaiah 43:5, 6

We will gather soon on the west coast to celebrate lives and a marriage, fruitfulness and the faithfulness of God. The ground keeps shifting underneath me, yet there is One who lifts the weight of this fruitfulness from me. He sustains me and then, stoops down to carry me! 

"Even to your old age and grey hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"Let present things be the ground, the ground of your trust in Me."

John Chrysostom 

Fourth Century

LOVE NEVER ENDS

Seasons come and go, I know this. But whole seasons? It seems the field of my life- children and the joys and challenges of a young family are cut and dried - donzo! (as some of our boys say). The scythe of time has cut a swath that has left me stunned and somehow bereft. I long to create, recreate, gather up the threads of moments and days to make a new thing, but I have only this space to walk in. No threads, no hustle and bustle, just the stillness of this old field shorn of its plantings.

I can choose to walk in this new season with empty joyful hands once I mourn what has been gathered up to serve the world. I can release, yes, and let go, of course, but it requires a sacrifice of praise, for only in this holy way will they have the coveted wings to fly, leaving home, filling the world with their flight and their song.

For now, I can barely tiptoe on these empty places in my heart and find His song of love again. When I am still enough, when my ceaseless questioning -"Did I do enough, did they have enough, is He enough?" ceases, I hear Him singing over me:

"The Lord my God is with me; He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in me; He will quiet me with His love. He will rejoice over me with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 

So the labors of that intense season come to an end; but it was never about the labors, the fatigue. It was always about the love. Love never ends. And He sings over them as well.

Medicine from Sacred Writings;

"For not by laboring and sweating, not by fatigue and suffering, but merely as being beloved of God we receive what we receive."

St. John Chrysostom 

Homily on Matthew from the Fourth Century