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| 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?
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| Image by Spencer Means |
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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!