WHEN LIFE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE EXPECTED

Heavy sleet, snow and ice covered morning in New England today. Daffodils froze as the snow changed to freezing rain and then finally settled on a raw downpour. It was hard to wake, to venture out, to feel joy in the face of such surroundings. I wonder. Do our spirits feel the same at times?

We long for our sunny days, warmth, beaches drenched by bright blue skies.

 How do we respond when life doesn't look like we expected? I withdraw, I get a little bitter, maybe grumbling about the day, the weather, how it is fit, "for neither man nor beast." And yet here we are, called to live and love despite our circumstances, despite, even, the weather of our heart.

What door will open in what may be the dreary season? What light lies ahead if we trust and simply put one foot in front of the other as we maybe put on some rain boots as well!

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." 

Psalm 18:28

BREAKFAST WITH JESUS

In our family we celebrate birthdays with baked doughnuts; it begins hours before daylight with yeast, flour, fresh nutmeg, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt and a whole lot of love. There is something so precious about someone making you breakfast; my husband's specialty is omelettes, Jesus appears offering fish and bread.

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn't realize that it was Jesus. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast," 
John 21:4, 9, 12.

I am surprised when I contemplate this scripture that I am walking the beach, collecting seashells and little pure white rocks, but I do not stop and go when I hear my name. "Come, My child, I've made you breakfast. Stop striving and searching so hard, come and take a break. Fast from your ways and try My ways, I will show you what's next, there's no need to lean on your own understanding, find your own way, let me teach you My ways, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Let me refresh your soul; I'll feed you with the finest wheat, only come to Me and rest. I cannot resist the One my heart loves and so I turn my steps towards the One who knows my weary soul and offers to feed me.  I go to the fire and He holds me, whispering in my ear, "I love you, you, do not be afraid." Come, child, and have breakfast. I accept the gift of a love prepared for me.

Imagine the tenderness of God in stooping so low that He prepares a meal, a picnic at the beach. Sit with Him today and let His love and kindness nourish your soul.

Father, thank you that you sent Your Son to save and to serve, to give His life as a ransom, to wrap Himself in light and love and an apron. Give me eyes to see how You are here, near to me. 

Sacred Scripture:

"Jesus said to them, 'Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls. 
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 
Matthew 11:28-30

A CROWN

Deeper and deeper into My brow

Go the thorns of the crown

They have woven for Me.

"Of what is it made?" you quietly ask Me.

Of all the deeds and misdeeds,

All the intentions not come to be,

Of all the unacknowledged sins and selfish pride that blinds the eye to see.

Love dies for these.

I have a chance now to weave thorns of unrepented sins and add them to Your crown, 

or to fall on my knees weeping for what I did not do for Thee.

I carefully reach for the crown on His head yet He gently chastises me, 

“No, My child, you cannot carry this for Me.”

My words in your heart and My love in your soul - these you carry to set others free.

Now go, into the crowds and bring them here to Me.

Stand with them bravely and gently as they gaze on this Tree.

Share the sorrow and pain of the Son of God broken for thee.

diane hallenbeck

Holy Week 2018

AN UNEXPECTED LENT

Perhaps the five NorEasters were an indication of what was happening in my soul~ I might have known that the outside would match the inside! I made a Lenten resolution to selflessly love and then the storms came. I loved and shoveled and loved and shoveled and did that again and again. Surgery recuperation prohibited help from my helpmate, so I persevered. Interesting what must be peeled away to serve another selflessly.

It takes courage to look inwardly and grasp the depths of one's self-seeking ways. Dying to self was like living a perpetual winter storm in my soul; winds of selfishness raged as I fought the desire to be right, to give my two cents, to get my own way, to be comfortable. Slowly all this was stripped away and I was left quiet and still. It reminded me of Isaiah, "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and confidence is your strength," 30:15.

As the weeks ran, week on week, I stumbled and fell, caught in the storm of my soul, and yet, here, on the doorstep of Our Lord's Passion, I find love has entered in. All the whispers of the King of Kings, to know I am loved, to know He is with me, to know He will clothe me with garments of salvation, all these have melted my heart. Within me and without, He has quieted my fearful heart and given me peace. He loves without measure, without hesitation, without failing and without a doubt He carries me to Himself as I join Him on His journey of love. I am learning to walk in the light of His face.

How are you walking as we enter Holy Week?

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"Paul gives us the Lord Himself for a garment;. the King Himself; for he that is clad with Him has absolutely all virtue. But in saying, "put on Christ" he bids us to be girt about (encircle as if with a belt) with Him on every side... for He would have our soul be a dwelling for Himself, and Himself to be laid round about us as a garment, that He may be unto us all things both from within and from without."

St. John Chrysostom  

Epistle to the Romans  Homily XXXIV

LENT'S TENANT

I forget in Lent that it isn't about me. It isn't about me trying harder, being more holy, eating less, not eating chocolate or drinking wine. Lent is a preparation for a feast. I get ready, I clean house, make my home ready for guests; it's like Thanksgiving. I know I'm having guests and so I go the extra mile to make my home spotless. How much more so my soul for the Guest and the feast to come.

Easter is the feast we are preparing for. Christ comes, lives among us, pitches His tent with His people and then suffers His Passion, but He rises from the dead. The church celebrates His life, death and Resurrection and we are invited to join in. Love woos us through Lent and grace carries us, it is like the waves crashing on the shore, the grace and love of God are unfailing. We need to remember to open our hearts and trust in Him.

The tenants in Matthew 21:13-41 were preparing for the owner to return, but they forgot. We forget that we are waiting for a Savior to return, that we discipline ourselves out of love for Him, out of longing for Him to come to us, return to us. Our hearts are preparing for God, that is what Lent is about. The life of the Son of God, restored from the dead, is celebrated at Easter, The Risen one comes and tells us He will make all things new, whispers to our hearts that we will be made new as well ~ this is the reason for Lent. I am like a tenant, waiting for God to come and claim me as His own. How am I waiting?

I want to be made new, in my attitudes and my actions, in my thoughts and in my words, not to be holier than thou, but to be made ready. I take my small faltering steps towards Easter, knowing I am weak and frail, and sinful and indulgent. I give all this to Him, I have little self-discipline, He whispers, "I know, Child." I lack the most basic of charity and kindness, and He stoops low, when I fall through my words, and picks me up again, brushes my dress smooth and says, "Let's try again."

Lent is a mirror, that I hold up to my soul and say, "What now? What can I do, small as I am, to make myself ready for so great a King?" Do I reflect His light, His glory, His love?

I could start by changing my clothes. The ones no one sees.

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, 

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

And over all these virtues, put on love, 

which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts."

Colossians 3:12-15 

LENT'S SURPRISING ORIENTATION

Last weekend we slogged through the city streets of Chicago while visiting our son and celebrating his life. It was a joy to see him but a chore to move through the city! My feet were frozen. Of course I had boots on, but not the trudging kind, I had the pretty tall black ones that look gorgeous when walking on a clear, warm, dry day! Maybe this is a key to "how we do Lent." Do we recognize that Lent is hard work, like moving through a frozen tundra that was once a sidewalk, yet it is also a joyful walk with our Creator towards the Easter feast to come? Perhaps Lent is about realizing the path we may be on was never the one intended for God's beloved, that there are things in our life and path (like snow!) that should be removed to make traveling a bit less burdensome.

Ever feel that you didn't want to enter the Lenten journey? It seems sacrilegious to say and yet, we drag our feet plodding through the mountains of demands on our soul, like a weary traveler who signs up for one more trek through the desert of Lent.

When we realize that our feet are meant to walk in God's ways and not the world's, our Lenten journey makes more sense. We can be enamored by the world and constantly find ourselves pulled by it. Our whole lives swing outward, as if on a rusty, worn out hinge: relating to the world, in the world and for worldly gain, prestige and power. Our souls are meant to be lifted up so that we find a new way of seeing the path ahead. Are long we longing for something higher? Or Someone other?

"Lift up your heads, O you gates;

 be lifted up, you ancient doors,

 that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? 

The Lord, strong and mighty; 

the Lord, mighty in battle. 

Lift up your heads, O you gates; 

lift them up, you ancient doors, 

that the King of glory may come in. 

Who is He, this King of glory?

 The Lord Almighty- 

He is the King of glory." 

Psalm 24:7-10 

Could the Lenten fast, giving and prayer be a way to purposefully lift up our souls and allow the King of glory to enter, to woo us from the world we live in and bring us to His Kingdom? Our habits and what we indulge often keeps our souls frozen in worldly ways, not allowing the "gates of our soul" to be lifted up. We aren't entering heaven's gates this moment, but we could live as though Heaven's King has touched our hearts now with the fire of His love.

May the warmth of God's love and the power of His grace free us to follow Him this Lenten season.

Medicine from Sacred Scriptures:

"Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord." 

Isaiah 2:5

JOY'S SURPRISING TIE

I grabbed a quick cuppa early yesterday morning with a dear friend; at times we don't see eye to eye so conversation was filled with deep respect, opposite points of view and yet, she won me over! I could have left with a difference of opinion, but it was my opportunity to look at my stance and shift, move, bend and bow to a bigger heart and a greater cause than my own. Her immense love for her family and others deeply touched my heart and changed my mind. How funny. It wasn't some big political debate, though it could have been, it was something far closer to home: how to love and live with those who differ from us. Ah, what love could teach us if we would sit at her feet.

 "Love is patient and kind, it is not self seeking," 1 Cor. 13:4

We know everyone needs love, from the tiniest babe who can't thrive without human touch, to the oldest among us who needs others to come alongside their loneliness and bring meaning to their days. Love for others fuels our journey as nothing else can. It makes us less selfish and self-centered and it builds up the world. And the call to love is not just for family and friends, for the victim and the disenfranchised, it is for our enemy as well. This is the tough stuff. How to love those who disagree with us, hurt us, and say all manner of evil things against us? 

"Love keeps no record of wrongs," 1 Cor. 13:5

Morning tea reminded me to see another point of view and let the joy of being together tether me to a love that "always protects, always trusts and always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails," 1 Cor. 13:7, 8. Love protects the integrity of another, trusts in the power of love, and hopes in One who never fails.  Knowing we are deeply loved unleashes a joy unspeakable. 

Take time in your Heavenly Father's presence to know His love and allow this love change how you see yourself and others. May this encounter touch your heart and bring you joy, and may this joy and love you find be reflected in a world that desperately needs it. It's a simple as a cup of tea, being present to God in prayer and listening to what He has to say. You might be surprised.

Will you let love ground you and joy rise in you?

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called the children of God! 

And that is what we are."

1 John 3:1

LOVE LOOKS LIKE A MELTING PATH

We were frozen in time last week: wintertime, harsh, biting, bitter treacherous beautiful days. Ice wrapped round each branch of every shrub and tree. How could anything survive such a deep freeze? Paths and roads were like icicles in motion as black and grey ice made moving forward a monumental task. Sun and warmth finally arrived and we began to thaw.

How true this is for our lives at times. We find ourselves like a snapshot, frozen with the emotion of a certain time and unsure, unable, perhaps even unwilling to go forward, as if staying where our heart is frozen would be a better option than letting it defrost all around. Fear grips us and grabs hold of our hearts paralyzing us and we freeze simply because moving seems so dangerous- we don't know how to move or what step to take next.

In a world filled with conflict and hatred, and in families and relationships caught in tension and misunderstanding, do we just freeze? We stop, shut down, disengage and lose heart, when all the while what is needed is love and light to warm our own hearts and kindness to allow what's frozen in us to begin melting. 

Our souls are thirsting for living water, where we can soak up the love and grace we need to nourish and sustain us for the journey. Allowing the love of God to touch all that is hard, bitter, cold, and harsh within is essential if we want to find a path forward.

There is One who can touch what's hurting inside with the warmth of His love.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

"To Thee I feel I must return; I knock; may Thy door be opened to me; 

teach me the way to Thee." 

St. Augustine 

Soliloquies Book 1.6

LOVE LOOKS LIKE A DRESS

I encountered a few women in the fitting rooms this afternoon helping their friend find a mother of the groom dress; I chuckled to myself because that was my errand as I entered the department store. They were laughing and joking, "No, not that one, it's too sheer; oh, that one is perfect- so flattering!" I could hear their running commentary as I tried on dress after dress for our son's wedding. Funny. We clothe ourselves in certain ways because we love those we are celebrating with.  As I kept shedding garments and trying on new ones, I realized the connection to our emotional and spiritual life. How I live and act, you could say "dress," in the world is a reflection of the "running commentary" in my mind and heart.

Here's some interesting fodder for that commentary of mind and heart:

"I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God.

 For He has clothed me with garments of salvation

 and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, 

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest 

and as a bride adorns herself with jewels," 

Isaiah 61:10

How I see how God sees me helps me get dressed in the morning and gives me the grace to take on the challenge of dressing and acting as God asks:

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, 

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

 Bear with one another and forgive one another whatever grievances you may have 

against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

And over all these virtues put on love, 

which binds them all together in perfect unity," 

Colossians 3:12-14

That, my friends, is quite a wardrobe! 

Will we let the Lord who loves us inform what we wear in the world? He loves us with an everlasting love and wants us to dress as if we are loved, so we can love.

Medicine from Sacred Writings:

                                 "He that is beloved walks with great unrestraint 
                                         within the heart of Him who loves him." 

                                St John Chrysostom Homily XIII on 2 Corinthians

LOVE LOOKS LIKE SOUP

It seems strange, I know. I want love to look like a big fanfare and a huge project and a deep connection, but today love looks like chicken soup. Sure, you've guessed it, someone is sick in our house and so I do what I do, and it seems small and insignificant and trivial, but soup nourishes our bodies. I wonder, is it love that nourishes the soul?

I'm not good at love at all. I'm most likely a classic case for a counselor with a PhD; unresolved childhood issues, insecure at times, boundary issues, over-responsible and probably co-dependent with everyone including the dog, but I know how to make homemade Shaker chicken noodle soup. Sure, today, of all days when I am weary and worn I had thick long noodles instead of the regular Pennsylvania Dutch wide egg noodles; it wasn't perfect and that's how love is.

It is daily and a struggle.

I have clothes to wear when I cook... I put on an apron to keep me protected from the mess. I wonder. Could I clothe myself in compassion and kindness, humility and gentleness to protect myself from the mess of the world and the mess of my own humanity.

Chrysostom calls to me again, to look at my life as lived before my King, day in, day out, one batch of soup at a time, and see if each day finds me kind and gentle. Can we live in the love He has for us, clothed in His love as He clothed Himself in our humanity, so that we might bring His peace to the broken, the lost and those needing a bowl of soup?

Medicine from Sacred Scripture:

"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

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