| | Spiritual ConNEXTion Theme: Spiritual Grounding | | | Rev. Elder Lillie Brock
 Coordinating Ministry in Region 7
Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Northern Texas, Florida and Western Canada
Directing Denominational Initiatives in Resourcing, Interim Ministry Training and Placement, Church Revitalization, Large Churches, The Virtual Church, Strategic Planning
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Skype: revlillie to Region 7 Elder and Staff | | | | Advent Waiting is Grounding
I don't know about you, but I am glad for the arrival of the liturgical season of Advent. The long stretch of 'ordinary time' from Pentecost (usually in May or June) until the first Sunday of Advent makes my soul hungry for the sights and sounds of a special season. I need the 'feasts and fasts' of the liturgical year to call me back to my spiritual roots and to invite me to put down new ones. Advent is an especially grounding season for me as I journey toward Christmas and ironically what grounds me about this season is its waiting.
I think all of us could agree that there is a lot of waiting that happens at Christmas. We hurry up just to wait. We hurry to get to the mall by 5 am the day after Thanksgiving for all those bargains, just to wait in line to pay for them. We wait in line at the supermarket and in traffic. And the poor children-Christmas Eve is the l-o-n-g-e-s-t night of the year. I can remember that even as a teenager it was hard for me to wait. So hard that I have been known to sneak under the Christmas tree weeks before December 25 and carefully open the ends of wrapped packages to see what they were then carefully reseal them. And as adults....well the Christmas spirit lasts maybe from Thanksgiving until the first week of December then we can't wait until it is over!
Henri Nouwen was struck by all the waiting people in the Christmas Story. Zechariah and Elizabeth are waiting for the birth of their son John the Baptist who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. Mary was waiting for the birth of Jesus. Old Simeon and Anna were waiting in the Temple for the one whom God had promised to redeem the people of Israel. Nouwen asks, "How are they waiting and how are we called to wait with them?" First of all, Nouwen claims, they wait around a promise. God has promised each of them something. Listen to how Nouwen talks about promise: "People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. They have received something that is at work in them. We can only really wait if what we are waiting for has already begun in us. Waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more." When I hear these words from Nouwen the first thing I think about is consent. In order for a promise to take root in us we must be willing. We must be willing to say, like Mary did, 'let it be unto me according to your word.' The promise is offered, but God never forces us to receive it. Participating in a promise requires our consent. The other thing that comes to mind for me when I hear these words from Nouwen is a passage from First Timothy which says "stir up the gift that is within you." It leads me to ask the question, "In what ways do I need to remember and rekindle the promise that I have received?" It is never too late to remember the promises of God. The waiting we find in the Christmas Story is also active waiting, unlike the anxious waiting of so many during this season. The assigned lectionary texts for this season call us to "keep awake!" The waiting we find in the Christmas Story is a watchful, expectant waiting. Nouwen says that a person who waits in this way is someone who is present to the moment. That is why Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary could hear the angel. They were very present to the moment. He says this kind of waiting requires patience. A willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. This kind of waiting is spiritually grounding. Where am I, where are you, being invited to stay put? What ways is the Spirit calling me, calling you to keep alert, keep awake? In this season it is so easy to numb out, to stay asleep-even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of shopping and parties and planning. As you embrace Advent as a waiting place, what do you need to do, what do you need to change or give up in order to be present to the moment so that you can hear the angel call your name? Director of Formation and Leadership Development | | | | | Creating a Life That Matters Creating a Life that Matters is all about relationships: intentional, authentic relationships - with the Sacred, our Self, and our Passion. CLM transforms lives and inspires people to more directed, clear, passionate involvement in their life and in the life of the planet, through the support of their local MCC. Certification is required to teach the CLM Program in a local church or community and two train-the-trainer sessions are already planned for 2009. Participants who attend one of these sessions and demonstrate competency in facilitation of the curriculum will receive certification to teach this transformational course. Click on the links below to register: Online Registration Tutorial March 2-5, 2009 in Dallas, Texas August 3-6, 2009 in Dallas, Texas | | | |
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