Advent Online Retreat Wk 4
For God so loved the world that God gave God’s one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life; John 3:16
Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice; Philippians 4:4
Week Four: Rejoicing
by Kathy Prudden
Rejoice? Some days the idea of rejoicing is hard to imagine. Mass shootings, natural disasters, hopelessness hovering at the edges, don’t inspire feelings of joy. What is it, then, that causes us to rejoice, at Christmas and throughout the year?
Love. God loves us – full stop. Not, God love us if…, or God loves us when…, or God loves us in spite of…
God loves us. This is such a big deal that God sent Jesus as the incarnation of that love. It’s such a big deal that there was a huge choir of angels sent to announce this birth, and a hard-to-miss brilliant star, shining as a spotlight on the stable. It’s such a big deal that we are celebrating it years and years later.
This is a life-changing big deal; “I love you…you have to hear this, because if you can hear this voice that speaks to you from all eternity to all eternity, then your life will become more and more the life of the beloved, because that’s who you are.” Henri Nouen, Our True Identity
Love made known and available to us; this is what we’ve been waiting and longing for, and what has come into being in the world. We are loved. This week, let that soak in. Consider what it means, to you personally, to be God’s beloved. Merry Christmas.
Poetry for Meditation and Reflection
First Coming
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
A Christmas Carol
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak midwinter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,—
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
– Christina Rossetti
Keeping Watch
In the morning
When I began to wake,
It happened again –
That feeling
That You, Beloved,
Had stood over me all night
Keeping watch,
That feeling
That as soon as I began to stir
You put Your lips on my forehead
And lit a Holy Lamp
Inside my heart.
– Hafiz
Audio Divina: Music for Meditation and Reflection
Joy to the World (3 versions). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seXUGKVKMJg; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDV8u7zQtA; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG48z8RTIG4
Gloria in Excelsis Deo Mix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5mdybeyLVc
Suggested Activities:
1. Color meditatively. http://s3.amazonaws.com/Website_Properties/Resources/documents/coloring-advent-holding-christ.pdf (Holding Christ).
2. Visio Divina – Holy Seeing. Each week there has been a crèche from a different country posted with the reflection. Spend some time reflecting on them; focusing on one, or all of them. What resonates with you about the depiction of the birth of Jesus? How does the artists’ rendering enhance or change your understanding?
3. Write a letter to God, reflecting on the times when you have been aware of God’s presence and love. Include in the letter a response to God’s declaration of love to you.
4. Write an haiku. (An haiku has three stanza’s; the first has 5 syllables, the second has 7, and the third has 5). Listen to the music, view the artwork, and consider the reflection in one or more of these meditations. Jot down words that come to mind. Assemble into an haiku, or other form of poetry.
A Christmas Blessing, Vienna Cobb Anderson
The blessing of God, whose love created light and darkness, mystery and wonder, be with you this day.
The blessing of God, whose love entered this world vulnerable, naked, and helpless, be with you always.
The blessing of God, whose love burns in your heart, transforming your living, send you into the world to be the incarnation of God’s love for others. Amen
Pictured Above: “Joy of the Moment”, Y. Jashir, Creche from Palestine
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