Pray with Psalm 8. (“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”)
Ponder: How am I invited to wait in darkness for what only God can give? What are the “good tidings” that I long to hear?
– Biff Weidman, spiritual director, South Bend, Indiana
Photo by Andreas Brun/Unsplash.
2 Walk into the dark
As Advent approaches and nights become longer, I am reminded of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Learning to Walk in the Dark. What does it mean to welcome the long nights at this time of year? What new birth requires a gestation period in my life? What is waiting to emerge within me?
During Advent, I find myself waiting for that time of day when the sun disappears, and darkness begins to deepen. Whenever I can, I like to sit in the semi-darkness and listen to Velma Frye’s song “O, Beautiful Darkness.” (You may have another song that comforts you.) Velma’s song is very meditative, and so I begin with five deep, long breaths to calm my heart, mind and body. I feel held and comforted by the darkness, knowing God invites new birth in all of us.
As sunlight hours get shorter, and the darkness of winter solstice nears, we wait.
We wait for the rest that accompanies darkness. We wait for rejuvenation. We wait for the Christ child to awaken us to new life burgeoning within us. What is that newness which God is enacting in and through us?
Saint Ignatius of Loyola offers a practice that will help us to hear and perceive and intuit more clearly the mysteries wrought in darkness. This practice is known as the Daily Examen.
Here is one form of this prayer: In the evening, ask God to enliven your holy imagination as you become aware of God’s presence with you. With gratitude, review the day you’ve just lived through. Pay attention to the emotions you felt at various times. Recall what thought, memory or action prompted your emotional responses, whether boredom, elation, resentment, compassion, anger or confidence. What is God saying through these feelings?
God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. Look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction? Are you concerned about a friend?
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that is particularly important—a feeling, an encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. It may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whether intercession, praise, repentance or gratitude.
Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful, cheerful, apprehensive, full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Ask God for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
As you wait in the darkness, spend time with God and listen for God’s voice. Experience the joys expressed in the ancient prayer of Richard of Chichester: “May I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly.”
– Claire Ewert Fisher, part-time co-pastor of Rosthern (Saskatchewan) Mennonite Church
Photo by Alisa Anton/Unsplash.
4 For families: Jesse Tree
Children need the rhythm of resting and turning inward in the dark season of the year as much as adults do. We can welcome the little people in our lives into the sacred moments of our spiritual disciplines. Below are two such practices.
A Jesse Tree is a symbolic tree with images on it designating stories coming from the biblical narrative. It was a tool used to remember and tell stories in pre-literate churches.
Slowly decorating a Jesse Tree (Isaiah 11:1) with simple decorations that symbolize stories from the biblical narrative helps children recall the sweep of God’s faithfulness.
At home in the evening, remove distractions: turn off lights, put away devices for the night. Light Advent candles (allowing the privilege of lighting them to come at a certain age) and sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Each evening, add one new decoration to the Jesse Tree, recounting the story it tells, a combination of the biblical narrative, beginning with creation, and including stories of faith from our own families as well as our Anabaptist heritage.
Say a prayer, sing some more. Leave the lights off. When ready, each person carries a small light to their bedroom to go to sleep.
5 For families: Outdoor Advent spiral
In the afternoon, hunt for evergreen boughs, or, if not possible, long pieces of cloth. Place these on the ground in a large spiral with a lantern at the centre. Stomp down a path between the boughs. After darkness falls, gather with friends and family, each carrying a small Mason jar filled with sand anchoring an unlit candle. Standing around the spiral, sing and tell stories of those who’ve walked into the darkness before, seeking wisdom and courage from our cloud of witnesses.
Ask the eldest child to walk into the dark spiral with a single lit candle, lighting the centre lantern. All the children light their jar lights and leave them along the spiral path. Encircle the spiral, singing, and remember those who have left their lights for us to follow. Let the songs fade to silence, taking in the beauty and cold of the night.
– Elisa Barkman, co-resident manager of Camp Koinonia, near Boissevain, Manitoba
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.