Beloved Friends-
We are now moving into the second week of this short and rich season of Advent. Last week we gathered, and I extended the invitation for us to sink into the counter-cultural aspect offered to us as a community to engage in a time of waiting. Not as a passive, unimaginative time, but rather into an intentional time to seek out the quiet, the sometimes-unnoticed holiness of taking time to breathe and sit still.
This year we are exploring a new liturgical resource for us: A Sanctified Art. This group of young, talented liturgists from around the church have worked together now for 6 years to offer a creative set of seasonal resources crossing the boundaries of denominations and joining together through our common bonds of the church calendar, the shared lectionary readings and a deep desire to inspire worship that connects the sacredness of our lives to the richness of our religious heritage.
This week’s poem, again written by one of the founders of Sanctified Art reminds us how often we can find ourselves in places and times that can evoke fear. Scripture readings are full of the phrase “Do not Be Afraid.” And what I love about this poem is the immediacy of her memory that for her, it was the presence of her Dad that brought her comfort and a meaningful metaphor to summon as a way to think of God’s love.
So I invite us to do the same today. What or who or when have you been afraid and where did you find comfort and strength? Was in silence or perhaps the presence of a parent or a sibling or a friend? Is there a place you can go to sink into the peace that passes all understanding?
May this season continue to be one of generative days, reminding us all that waiting is a gift ready and waiting for us.
May you never forget that you are loved,
Lisa
Second Week of Advent Poem
By Rev. Sarah Speed, A Sanctified Art LLC, sanctifiedart.org
God meets us in our fear- love comes running
I remember
the first time I was afraid.
I was a child.
It was a nightmare.
(You remember
those pesky monsters under the bed.)
I remember
minutes felt like hours.
I begged
the sun to rise.
(Fear always begs
the sun to rise.)
Eventually,
after minutes that felt like hours,
I cried out.
My dad came running.
He sat at the edge of my bed.
He said there is no reason to be afraid.
He checked the closet and the floorboards.
He rearranged my pillows.
He said, “I can stay.”
And that’s when I learned
that when you are afraid,
love always comes running.
Love says, “I can stay.”
That’s what God does for us.
God sits at the edge of the bed.
God checks the closet and the floorboards.
God says, “Be not afraid.”
God stays until sunrise.
Love always comes running.