Advent Devotion for Wednesday, December 16: The Art and Imagery of Advent

Read: 
Psalm 125
Malachi 3:16-4:6
Mark 9:9-13 

 Reflect: 

 “Those who revered the Lord and thought on his name.” 

Recently there has been a reawakening to one of human nature’s gifts - mindfulness.  It is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around us.  It is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it. Philosophical individuals have spoken about it for centuries.

Osho Ranjeesh, an Indian mystic of the 20th century, “The real question is not whether life exists after death.  The real question is whether you are alive before death.”   

Franz Kafka, Bohemian novelist (1883-1924), “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet still and solitary.  The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”   

Blaise Pascal, French philosopher (1623-1662), “All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” 

 To focus on the present may seem odd during a time of waiting for something that will happen in the future.  Advent is all about the coming of Jesus and we are eager for Christmas to get here.  Course, once December 25th arrives, the commercial Christmas that has been with us since Halloween goes out on the curb with the tree. But for us, these days leading up to December 25th are a time of personal preparation so that we will know him when he is right there in front of us.  Malachi 3:16 speaks of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name.  Then they spoke with one another and the Lord took note and listened.   

 When we think about it, God’s name in Hebrew is from the core root “to be.” We aren’t satisfied with infinitives and try different ways of saying it in English such as, “I am that I am.”  But in essence, God is the very heart of what it means to exist.  Life emanates from that core.  Everything emanates from God.  So, to sit alone or in a small intentional group and think about God’s “name” as Malachi suggests and consider all the expressions of life and being that exist in this world, we will come closer and closer to sensing God’s presence with us.  So that when Jesus comes again, we will simply know it in the core of our being.   

 Joan Copeland