Come Holy Darkness: 2023

Dec 29, 2023

DAY 27

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Patrick

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A GREETING
As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
(Psalm 42:1-2)

A READING
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise God,
my help and my God.
(Psalm 42:3-6)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
I say to God, my rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully?
(Psalm 42:9)

A CONFESSION
But after I had come to Ireland, it was then that I was made to shepherd the flocks day after day, so, as I did so, I would pray all the time, right through the day. More and more the love of God and fear of him grew strong within me and as my faith grew, so the Spirit became more and more active, so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only slightly less. Although I might be staying in a forest or out on a mountainside, it would be the same; even before dawn broke, I would be aroused to pray. In snow, in frost, in rain, I would hardly notice any discomfort, and I was never slack but always full of energy. It is clear to me now, that this was due to the fervor of the Spirit within me.
- from The Confession of St. Patrick,
translated by John Skinner

VERSE FOR THE DAY
At night God's song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
(Psalm 42:8)

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"A Legend of St. Patrick," by Briton Riviere (1877)

Patrick is by far the most famous of Irish Christian monks and yet his early relationship to Ireland was difficult at best. He was born and grew up in the west part of England where, at the age of 16, he was captured and enslaved by Irish slave traders and brought to Ireland where he was forced to tend to sheep. (The quotation above from Patrick's confession refers to that time.) He was already Christian but it was during the time of being enslaved that his faith deepened. When he managed to escape and return to England he was recaptured and enslaved again, then escaped again. It was at this point that he began to wonder if perhaps the will of God was for him to actually remain in Ireland. Therefore, when he became a free man he returned by his own will and is credited with being one of the principal founders of Christianity in Ireland. His life was a profoundly difficult one, in part because of his generous and deeply felt sense of inclusion for everyone and everything. He worked to build good relationships with the non-Christian Irish as well. He strove to end slavery in Ireland and was a great supporter of the vocation of women. For these convictions and more, he was often on the edge of martyrdom.

There is a story about Patrick, whose famous “breastplate prayer” is the text of the last part of today’s music. In the story, Patrick and his community of brothers were on their way to minister in another village where the leader had threatened to kill them. As the men walked through a woods, they recited the prayer to give themselves courage. As they continued to pray, those who waited to ambush them saw a mother deer and her calves passing through, instead of the monks. In another story, Patrick was drawn to a particular place to build his monastery. As he was scouting the location with others, he found a hind deer and its calf who refused to move. While the others prepared to kill it, he carried the calf on his shoulders and the hind followed him to where he released them in a woods. This is part of why Patrick is often associated with a deer and with Psalm 42 in particular. It might be helpful to read through Psalm 42 imagining Patrick relying on its words during his time of being enslaved.

In our own lives, the end of the year often brings reflection on where we have been and where we are going. For many of us, there may have been difficult changes over the past year that we might wish could somehow be returned to how things were. We may be yearning to feel God's presence with us, giving us courage and upholding our strength, as we hear about the development of wars, climate catastrophes and species loss, in the wider world. Somehow it might feel harder to feel as hopeful as we once did. Like the deer in Psalm 42, we thirst for God’s love and for a sense of meaning and the ability to make change in our world. This is why Jesus became one of us, to dwell with us in the midst of all of those uncertainties, and to help us build a renewed and transformed world.

How can the story of Patrick inspire our own longing for change? How much do you feel Christ above, below, beside and within you as you strive to deepen your discipleship?

Image by Marneejill

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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thank you and peace be with you!

Dec 28, 2023

DAY 26

Image by Gitta Zahn

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Columba

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A GREETING
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
(Psalm 119:50)

A READING
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’
(Matthew 8:23-27)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
(Psalm 107:29)

A PRAYER
Before God and you who are near me,
I release anything I hold against you;
I regret all I have done to harm you;
I stand beside the wrong in my life
and ask for God's forgiveness.
- prayer found in The Iona Abbey Worship Book

A BLESSING
God of love, in the silence of our hearts
give us words of welcome, acceptance and renewal
so that when we speak, our words come from you.
- from "Prayer for Three Voices" by Yvonne Morland,
excerpted in 50 Great Prayers from the Iona Community,
selected by Neil Paynter

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Uncredited video found on the
Instagram page of @valaisblacknosesheepscotland

One of the earliest Celtic missionaries is Columba, also known as Columcille, who is credited with establishing Christianity in Scotland through the establishment of a monastic community at Iona in the sixth century. He is one of three saints considered to be foundational to monastic life in Ireland and Scotland (the other two are Patrick and Brigid whom we will get to know also).

Educated in the early Irish monasteries, he then founded several of his own in Ireland before he fell into a dispute with Finnian, another monastic voyager who had been his mentor. The dispute is believed to have led to a battle. To resolve the conflict, Columba was either exiled or chose to exile himself (traditions attest to both). Taking twelve companions with him, when his boat first came ashore on an isle in the Scottish Hebrides, he did not stay there but pushed farther north. This brought him to Iona, in the Inner Hebrides. The boat journey was profound: he experienced a deepened desire for transformation and vowed to commit himself to a renewed life of faith. Although the first structure was destroyed, the Iona Abbey established in his name in the ninth century has endured and is still a thriving centre of spirituality.

In today’s reading, Jesus asks the disciples why they are afraid of the storm and adds the seemingly unkind phrase, “you of little faith." Although it is translated as ‘little faith,' the Greek words here mean ‘one who trusts too little.' The Greek word for 'trust' is the same as 'faith.' Today’s music is an old Celtic song that describes a woman waiting for a loved one, the boat man, to return. In our spiritual journeying, we play different roles. We are sometimes the voyager and sometimes the person waiting for something to come our way that will inspire us and free us from our spiritual knots. Both the voyager and the one waiting for guidance are accompanied: God is with us and can help to calm the stormy waters of our hearts. When we are seeking, whether a new place to journey to, or a way of being able to continue the life we have, our deepest prayers are met by God’s desire for our wellbeing.

In this midweek time between holiday events, we might be starting to feel weary, and yearning for the quiet rhythms of normal life. Or if we are alone, we might be longing for the season to just be over. How can we make space instead for prayer today, inviting God to be with us in a few moments of stillness? How can we quietly discern what it is we are most seeking -- for ourselves and for the world?

Image by Gitta Zahn

Dec 26, 2023

DAY 24

Image by Pedro Szekely

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A GREETING
‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek God's face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
(Psalm 27:8)

A READING
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
(Philippians 2:4-7)

MUSIC
The lyrics for this song are today's Poem Prayer below.

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
(Job 10:11)

A POEM/SONG LYRIC
My arms are your first home;
this muscle, bone, and hope
were born to cradle you
soft as I can.
Holy, holy this child.

The ease of your breathing
is a whispering song
dearer to me
than any I know.
Holy, holy, this breath.

When you smile,
your ancestors sing.
All they loved,
all they dreamed,
is born anew.
Holy, holy, this moment.

You will grow and go
and these arms will lift
this moment
into my heart.
I will carry it there,
gladly gladly
all of my days.
Holy, holy, this child.
- "First Cradle," by Brian Newhouse
found on kylepederson.com

VERSE FOR THE DAY
May their bones send forth new life.
(Sirach 46:12a)

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Adelie penguin mother and nestling born only five days ago. Cape Hallet, Antarctica. Photographed by Myeongho Seo, found on Instagram at @myeonghoseo

The birth of Jesus fulfills a number of Hebrew bible texts that foretell of the coming of a messiah: we quote Isaiah and Jeremiah often at this time of year. But there is nothing that we can turn to that could be read as a prophecy of Mary and her role in the incarnation. Mary is her own original figure.

In the Celtic tradition there is the principle of ‘peregrenatio,’ in which a spiritual seeker surrenders completely to the will of God, through a 'wandering,' without a destination. Some of the first monastic missioners would put themselves out in a boat to sea — without oars. Trusting the currents and the winds, they would simply drift until they landed where God had called them to be. For them, trusting God requires a complete surrender to God’s will in the present moment. We rarely make such decisions in our own lives today. While a ‘pilgrimage’ has a clear end in sight, a ‘peregrinatio’ does not. Mary’s ‘yes’ was a ‘peregrinatio.’

Today’s song lyrics emphasize the way in which a mother’s body is a baby’s ‘first cradle.’ Having surrendered to God’s will for her, Mary becomes a part of the unfolding of God’s creativity through Jesus. Mary evolves with Jesus, not just for him.

Mary is often portrayed in art as holding Jesus both in his infancy, and in his death. The Madonna and child of nativity scenes evolves into the Pièta: Mary with the crucified Jesus laid across her lap. In these moments Mary and Jesus are represented almost as one body. The very human body of Mary played an essential role in the incarnation. Through Mary we can identify with holding a child, wanting to protect it, and being agonized by loss. Surrendering to God’s will does not mean there will be no painful process along the way. In fact, most times some suffering can be expected. But something holy, mysterious, unknown and potentially life-changing can be the result.

How much are we willing to surrender to God’s will in our own lives? How easily could we take on a new path for God, despite not knowing where it will take us?

Image by David Cook

Dec 21, 2023

DAY 19 - THE LONGEST NIGHT

Image by Ralph Arvesen

A Meditation for the Longest Night

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A GREETING
My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
(Psalm 119:28)

A READING
Listen, God, to my prayer;
my cry goes out to you alone.
Don't hide your face on the day of my anguish.
Lean your ear toward me;
when I cry out; answer me quickly.
(Psalm 102:1-2)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping’,
your steadfast love, O God, held me up.
(Psalm 94:18)

A BLESSING
To all that is chaotic
in you,
let there come silence.

Let there be
a calming
of the clamoring,
a stilling
of the voices that
have laid their claim
on you,
that have made their
home in you,

that go with you
even to the
holy places
but will not
let you rest,
will not let you
hear your life
with wholeness
or feel the grace
that fashioned you...

Let there be
an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath
the chaos,
where you find
the peace
you did not think
possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm.
- from "Epiphany 4: Blessing in the Chaos" by Jan Richardson,
found on paintedprayerbook.com

VERSE FOR THE DAY
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back.
(Jeremiah 31:9)

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"Evening Light" by Isobel Hamilton (2020)

In many countries on the winter solstice, there is a tradition of ‘Longest Night' gatherings that offer spiritual companionship to those who live with sadness in this season. Sometimes we find ourselves devastated by realities that cannot be fixed or changed. Sometimes that truth can leave us feeling profoundly lost and alone. Although we may wish to, we may not really see any hope on the horizon at all. Today we make space for that painful place.

The Celtic people believed that evil spirits caused the sun to come to a stop for twelve days in winter. When it seemed to be moving again, they knew they had survived the winter solstice. From year to year, a log was saved to rekindle, creating a new fire that would burn through the darkness. The Yule log allowed a means for keeping warm, and for doing tasks and chores that had to continue in the dark.

In much of the northernmost part of the planet, today will have no sun at all. There is currently no daylight in Tuktoyaktuk, in the Northwest Territories, and there won’t be until January 14th. On that day, the sun will be up for less than an hour.

Jesus understands darkness, it is a part of his life. Jesus is born into chaos and violence and Jesus dies that way too. These framing realities do not alter his purpose or his commitment to bringing love to the world. Love lives in darkness, love lives in light. Jesus comes into all of it to bring his whole self to us, so that we may know him — in darkness, in light and in all the shades between. The birth of Jesus reminds us that we never have to be alone within our own internal pain, temptation or isolation. Jesus has experienced suffering and his love is always with us.

On this longest night, what is the anguish that Jesus is holding with you? How can you feel his strength as you move forward together, one love-drenched step at a time?

Image by John Arnold

Dec 19, 2023

DAY 17

Image by Robin Jaffray

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A GREETING
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
(Psalm 56:3)

A READING
[Wisdom] is a tree of life for those who embrace her,
My children, maintain sound wisdom and right judgment,
and don’t let them out of your sight,
for then they’ll be the life of your soul,
jewels to grace your neck.
Then your journey will be secure,
and your feet won’t stumble.
When you sit down, you won’t be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
So don’t fear sudden disaster
or the ruin that comes to corrupt individuals—
for God is your insurance,
and will keep your feet from the snare.
(Proverbs 3:13,18,21-26 TIB)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
(Luke 2:19)

Source

A BLESSING
Mary, we come to you knotted
in a hundred different ways.
Our hearts are knotted with grief and anger,
our bodies feel knotted with tension,
our minds knotted with anxiety and fear.
We ask you to gently work on those places
of tightness and holding within us,
to loosen them gently...
Help us to soften our hard edges
and yield to your grace.
Allow us to see you at work within us,
slackening and unbinding.
Sustain us in the moments
when all feels as if it is unraveling.
Help us to trust your work
and know that we must first come undone,
before we can be woven back together again.
Bless us with patience and wisdom;
support us in loosening our steady grip
so we might also prevent more knots
forming in days to come.
- from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal,
by Christine Valters Paintner

VERSE OF THE DAY
I want you to be free from anxieties.
(1 Corinthians 7:32)

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"Mary, Untier of Knots,"
by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner

In Mary's first encounter with Gabriel, and later during the visit of the shepherds after the birth, we are told that Mary 'pondered'. She considered and reflected on what was happening within and to her. What was she feeling?

Today’s music is written from Mary’s point of view. It offers us a chance to hear Mary’s private fears and concerns, her anxiety and desire for God to always be near. “Breath of heaven hold me together, be forever near me.” Breath is at the start of the biblical story: the Hebrew word for Spirit, ‘ruach’, that moves over the face of the earth in Genesis 1, is also the word for human breath.

Among the many ways in which Mary has been portrayed in art, in 1700 a German painter named Johann Schmidtner depicted Mary as ‘the untier of knots.’ The painting (see above) depicts Mary being fed a ribbon filled with knots. As the ribbon passes through her hands, Mary is untying the knots and an angel passes out the unfurled ribbon again to us. The painting has inspired many people, who are encouraged by it to see Mary as a figure who can help us undo the tangled problems of our lives. Mary, who is herself worried and anxious in the song, becomes in the painting, the one who unties anxieties and fears.

Knots are a significant part of Celtic iconography, appearing on many graveside Crosses and decoratively pervasive on Celtic monuments and sites. The tradition of the iconographic knot can be traced to 5th century Rome and Gaul, the area where the Celts first originated in western Europe. When the pre-Christian Celts came to Ireland, they brought the knots with them. Although they appear right through the middle ages in both Roman and Celtic design, and throughout Europe in a variety of contexts, their intricate weavng has become synonymous with Celtic expression. Celtic knots are not meant to be unraveled or undone, but can be seen as part of both the order and mystery of Creation, in which God’s wisdom weaves its way into the fabric of our lives.

Whether we choose to meditate on the beauty of Celtic knots, or prefer to pray to Mary the Untier of Knots (perhaps with this meditative youtube series), we know that we are held in the arms of a loving God who accompanies us in all of the knotty parts of our lives. Each time we breathe in, we have the chance to feel the love of God that is always with us. Advent is a time when we can reorient breath and body and stillness, by breathing deeply.

What will you pray to have ‘untied’ today? How can you breathe into what worries you?

Photo by Sarah Webb of an installation by Meg Saligman,
"Mary, Undoer of Knots Grotto," Philadelphia, 2015.
The installation includes the painting above by Schmidtner
and was inspired by it. Visitors were encouraged to tie strips of cloth
to a grid with written messages of the trials they are going through.
Then, they were encouraged to untie the knot made by someone else.

Dec 18, 2023

DAY 16

Image by Daniel Peckham

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A GREETING
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid.
(Psalm 56:4)

A READING
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
(Luke 1:39-44)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
You are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you.
(Isaiah 43:4a)

A POEM
It was from Joseph first I learned
of love. Like me he was dismayed.
How easily he could have turned
me from his house; but, unafraid,
he put me not away from him
(O God-sent angel, pray for him).
Thus through his love was Love obeyed.
- from "O Sapientia" by Madeleine L'Engle
found in her collection A Widening Light: Poems of the Incarnation

VERSE OF THE DAY
You who seek God, let your hearts revive.
(Psalm 69:32)

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Mothers protecting newborns. At left, a mother and infant humpback whale, photographed by @PaulNicklen, found on Instagram. Click here to read his story. At right, a mother osprey and her young one, photographed by @harrycollinsphotography, found on Instagram. Clck here to read his story. Make sure sound is on for both.

The Celtic Cross is one of the most recognizable emblems of Celtic Christianity. It evolved out of the pre-Christian Celtic pagan symbols of the circle and cross, representing the sun, and the simple ring that represents the moon. The early missonaries encouraged the adoption of the ‘sun’ symbol alongside the Latin Cross, which blends Creation spirituality with the theology of the Cross. Initially, crosses were inscribed into a rock rather than carved out and were not seen in graveyards until the nineteenth century. Some believe it was Saint Patrick who took the short arms of the Celtic Cross and adjusted them outward to more closely resemble a Latin cross. Over the centuries, biblical stories were engraved onto them as a form of education. The Celtic knots also became vividly a part of the Cross iconograpy. In many places in Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the short-armed long-stemmed version (as in both of today’s images) remains consistent.

Today’s reading tells of the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with the one who will be John the Baptist. Mary and Elizabeth are celebrating the end of their own Advent, their own people’s period of centuries of waiting. They may be worred, as they are living in challenging times. And yet, despite the circle of suffering and death that surrounds them, both women are able to embrace the joy of new life and share it with each other.

Every year, despite how hard things have been, the promise offered by the incarnation of Jesus is brought into our lives anew. God is always in the space between ourselves, those we love, and the future. Although we know that the journey to the Cross lies ahead for the one who will become one of us, we also know it is not the end of the story. The Celtic Cross holds the presence of Creation. The Cross that symbolizes the way in which Jesus died speaks also to his resurrection: the perfect circle enclosing the Cross reminds us that Creation does not die when Jesus does, but waits for him to rise, so that it too may be renewed. In this way, the Celtic cross holds Creation, crucifixion and new Creation all woven into one.

How can it enrich our experience of the Cross to bring aspects of Creation into the symbol? How can Advent help deepen our appreciation for its meaning?

Image by Spencer Means

Dec 8, 2023

DAY 6

Image by Justin Kern

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A GREETING
For God alone my soul waits in silence.
(Psalm 62:1a)

A READING
Moses said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”’ So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, ‘Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. For six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none.’
(Exodus 16:24-26)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
‘Be still, and know that I am God!'
(Psalm 46:10)

A REFLECTION
Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honouring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us.
- from Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives
by Wayne Muller

VERSE OF THE DAY
Hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you.
(Ezekiel 20:20)

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Take a few moments to close your eyes and rest in the sound of wind.

Genesis 1 describes the making of plants and wildlife and sea creatures before it describes the creation of humankind. Therefore, it is possible to consider that everything, not only humankind, has been made in God's image and that God’s creativity is an expression of God’s hospitality to us. Therefore, the invitation to observe the sabbath, is an invitation into God’s home, to rest, enjoy, be at peace with what has been made for us. When the biblical people were enslaved and in forced exile, the sabbath tradition became an essential way of surviving while surrounded by oppressors. It was a way to carve out a moment of remembering who they were.

The earliest monastic founders of the Celtic church kept a seventh-day sabbath on Saturdays, in keeping with the Hebrew Bible commandments and customs. The Torah holds prescriptions against working on the sabbath, but mostly to do with work that was based on creativity. What we do on a sabbath day of rest is to realign our hearts and minds with God's deepest desires for us.

In our hectic over-run days of duty and care, it can be hard to surrender ‘doing’ to ‘being’. Busyness is an easy habit to fall into, especially when our cell phones and computers are never far from reach. Giving ourselves purposeful activity creates meaning. And yet the simple verse in Psalm 46 comes with an exclamation mark: in Hebrew it’s not a suggestion, it's a command.

Advent is our sabbath rest time of the spirit, in preparation and waiting. When we are able to be still and listen for God, we are more likely to renew our own creative light. In order to find that space, we have to make room for the beauty of Creation that lives within us. Music, prayer, the arts, and nature can help us to do that, by inviting us to let go of all of our ‘doing’ and simply rest in beauty.

How can we teach ourselves to be still, as one of the ways we honour the sabbath?
What are our own sabbath prayers?

Image by Anthony

Dec 4, 2023

DAY 2

Image by Ansgar Walk

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A GREETING
I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
(Psalm 77:11)

A READING
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
(2 Timothy 1:3-7)

MUSIC

A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Remember me, O my God, for good.
(Nehemiah 13:31a)

A PRAYER
For the might of your wind on the waters
For the swelling of the open sea
and the rushing of crested waves
thanks be to you oh God.
For the strength of desire in my body
for the sap of life that flows
and the yearnings for birth and abundance
thanks be to you.
Restore me in the image of your love this day
that the longings of my heart may be true.
Restore me in the image of your love this day
that my passions for life may be full.
- from Celtic Benediction: Morning and Night Prayer
by J. Philip Newell

VERSE OF THE DAY
I will remember my covenant that is between me and you
and every living creature of all flesh.
(Genesis 9:15a)

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Every other day, we will feature an animated image
that captures the beauty or endurance of God's creatures.
This silent video of surfing sealions was captured by Ryan L
(@lawofthelandnsea) by way of Seven_seas_explorer on Instagram
What is the covenant we have with nature? How do we commit to remembering it?

When the dark wood fell before me, and all the paths were overgrown. When the priests of pride say there is no other way, I tilled the sorrows of stone.”

These are the lyrics of Loreena McKennitt’s song called Dante’s Prayer, inspired by a journey she made by train across Siberia while reading the Italian poet Dante’s poem Inferno. McKennitt’s strong affinity with Celtic spirituality and music has led her to write and record many songs in the Celtic tradition. “When the dawn seemed forever lost,” is another lyric we hear, and later, "please remember me." How many times have we been awake at night, or in the midst of a challenging emotional experience in daytime that we have asked God to “please remember me."

A deeper history of Celtic spirituality extends across the continent of Europe and into Asia. There were pagan Celtic peoples in these regions while Moses walked the Sinai desert. From the third century CE until the Middle Ages, Celtic followers of Jesus in the Irish-British isles were in tension and/or conformity with the Roman church that was also present. Some communities were more associated with Catholic traditions and theologies, while others remained distinct and separate.

Throughout scripture, God forms relationships with God’s people through covenants of remembrance, and then God remembers that covenant at other times. When we are able to remember someone in a positive meaningful way, we keep those relationships alive, even if the ones being remembered have gone. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul remembers those in Timothy's family who had influence over him and whom he knows are sustained by their own relationships in faith. Remembering each other returns us to loving connections and commitments. When we remember Jesus at the Eucharist, we are reminding ourselves of God’s deep love for us and of our own commitment to being in relationship with God.

How do you remember Jesus in your own day-to-day struggles and joys?
How will you make space in Advent for remembering him?

Image by Peter Prokosch

Come Holy Darkness