Symbol: Ladder
Hymns: Have Thine Own Way, Lord; There's A Wideness In God's Mercy
So normal. So regular. So comforting and beautiful. I forget that this family ritual, this exercise of gathering to anticipate Jesus' coming into the world is hardly universal. It's what we do, what we've always done, what, by God's grace, we plan to always do in our family.
In this moment of devotion, I embrace the fleeting earthly joy of gathered love. It is certainly but a shadowy similitude of all we will experience on a day.
Genesis 28 tells the story: Heavenly to earthly to heavenly communion and commerce greet Jacob in his more-than-a-dream, with God Himself over it all, but then right beside him, speaking with him, promising His Person and His Presence.
Light from above shed onto the earth below, wrapped in flesh-wrapped-in-flesh, shedding light from within to proclaim Light to the darkness. The promise of His Person, the glory of His Presence.
"If our love were but more simple,
We would take Him at His word,
And our lives would be illumined
By the presence of our Lord."
1 comment:
Last Sunday I taught the 4th grade Sunday School class. I told them it was the first Sunday of Advent. None of them had heard of Advent. Makes me a little sad. At Josh's church, on the other hand, much is made of Advent and of Lent and other "holy" days. I think that in some of our "Baptist" conservative circles we swing far to the right to keep our faith from being ritual rather than relationship. In doing so we miss the message and the beauty those very rituals bring to our lives. I'm thankful for the years of worshiping at the feet of the Savior, of anticipating his first coming, of anticipating his second coming - all around the simple advent wreath. I cherish the times of singing Christmas hymns together as well. My children know Christmas hymns.
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