Advent IV 12/24/23
The Still Point
A Time of Meditation and Reflection
The Fourth Sunday of Advent:
... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...
T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton
Peace on each one who comes in need;
Peace on each one who comes in joy.
Peace on each one who offers prayers;
Peace on each one who offers song.
Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,
Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.
Opening Prayer
Come, O come Emmanuel, you are the way, the truth and the life; Come, living Savior, come to your world which waits for you. Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen.
The Gospel Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Poem: “Annunciation” by John Donne (1572-1631)
Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created, thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;
Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;
Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.
Meditation
Whether we're regular churchgoers, we see the inside of a church on the occasional Christmas or Easter, or we pass by churches on the way somewhere else, the image of Gabriel presenting news to young Mary, often with a lily in hand, endures in our common consciousness. This familiar image is so commonplace, it'd be easy to take its meaning for granted. "Oh yeah, that's when Gabriel tells Mary she will bear Jesus." She's confused, then, upon receiving additional information, humbly assents. It's information that can fit on the cover of a Christmas card. It seems simple enough.
Yet, we get a clue as to the true immensity of the moment when Gabriel describes what is happening with Elizabeth and declares "for nothing shall be impossible for God". This statement isn't made just to clarify things for Mary. It mirrors an equally tremendous statement made by God to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 16-18. This is an encounter across time and space, a bright holy thread of God's promises to God's people that stretches backwards and forwards, from generation to generation. Gabriel brings news of a promise that God is with us, as has been, is now, and always will be. And more - God has been with God's people all along, but with this message, this news of the child Jesus to be born, God is about to do a new thing, to abide so intimately with humanity as to be enfleshed in humanity. Godself as humanity's self. This is intimacy on the cellular level. Gabriel's wondrous message of the advent of God's molecular unity with us is something we now experience whenever we receive the Blessed Sacrament. God makes ordinary bread and ordinary wine into God's own flesh and blood. God makes ordinary human chromosomes into God's own flesh and blood. God does what we think impossible, and makes Abraham and Sarah and Mary and us God's own family, God's own flesh and blood. Gabriel's message to Mary was that she was highly favored. This message, for us, now and always, is that we are beloved.
Questions for Reflection
Call to mind an impossible situation in your life. What would it look like for the impossible to be possible? Hold this situation in prayer, imagine wrapping it up and laying it at the feet of God.
How do you feel connected to those who have come before, at this time of year? Do you keep special family heirlooms like ornaments, or table settings? Maybe you feel the presence of beloved family who have passed on when you make a special recipe or sing a traditional carol. What are the bright holy threads that keep you connected to the past, that you hope will connect to future generations?
"I had no idea that was possible." Have you had an experience in your life you would call miraculous? Or, has someone described their own miraculous experience to you? Maybe it was a tiny miracle, like catching a departing bus or a flight. Maybe it was a huge miracle, so big we're not sure it could even be real. Let us give thanks for the times we notice God's extraordinary presence in ordinary situations.
Prayers
We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today
We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer
We bring to God a troubled situation in our world
We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust
We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection
We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives
We name before God those who have died.
Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.
Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.
May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.
Reflections this Month offered by Katie Schmidt
