One of my favorite parts of tent camping happens early in the morning. Just after daybreak, there is a freshness that seeps through the tenting fabric. A chill is in the air that brings with it the smell of a new day. You crawl out of your sleeping bag as though a hidden and magical force is pulling your body into another dimension. Your fingers eagerly let down the zipper on your tabernacle. It is a sacred moment as you leave your fabric womb – a new day has arisen!
So it is when we reach the end of a threshold and with courage exit transition. Our hopeful expectation erupts as new life envelopes our being. Clarity, confidence, and light (all of which were previously unimaginable) replace the confusion, uncertainty, and darkness (which we knew all too well). We enter a space of exuberance and possibility.
This week we will imagine what lies beyond the threshold: inspiration; new understanding; vision; shalom; and a perpetual invitation to carry on. For the last full week of our Advent devotions, we will wonder about the creative power of the Spirit to renew and rebirth our very lives. And not only our lives but the life of all creation. Implicit in all of it is a foundational and a baptismal invitation to participate in God’s ongoing work of resurrection, reformation, justice, and shalom.
We leave the threshold and enter a new space better equipped not only to perceive God’s presence and invitation but to engage these things out in the world. Ultimately, threshold crossing is a eucharistic action wherein Christ’s body strengthens our own for the sake of the world.
Silent Prayer:
Find a comfortable place to sit. Set your phone or watch for fifteen minutes. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. As thoughts come to your mind – push them aside. Now is not the time. Trust in God to hold your life without needing to control it with our thoughts or actions. At the end of your time – say a simple “thank you” or “Amen.” Tomorrow, we will build on this spiritual practice by adding more time. Consider the time spent in silent prayer as an Advent gift – an opportunity to enter into God’s shalom/peace.
Today’s Silent Prayer Goal – Fifteen minutes
If the challenge of fifteen minutes of silence seems to be just too much, an alternative might be to continue with seven or eight minutes of daily, prayerful silence for the remainder of this Advent season. The length of time spent in silent prayer is not as important as the practice itself so give yourself the permission to do it for as long as works for you.
Scripture:
Psalm 30: 1-5
1I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Thank you for reading the fifteenth blog of this Advent series. If it was meaningful to you, please feel free to like it below or share it with your friends. You may also leave a comment. Blessings on the journey as we head through this season of Advent together. In Christ, Walt.