Posts from — November 2011

This Advent devotion was written in response to Luke 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike. 

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

On this third day of Advent I find myself struggling to quiet down.  The Gospel reading flows over me and I cannot make heads or tails of it.  The building crew who has been working on the house next door for what-feels-like-forever is back from thanksgiving break and all I can hear are hammers, saws, shouting and bang, bang, bang.  Emails are flying in and interrupting my attempt to focus, and because I had nothing to add to the lunch boxes this morning I keep refreshing a mental grocery list.  The husband is taking off for a business trip at 5am tomorrow and I must pick up his shirts before the cleaners close.  Add that to the already deafening commercial noise that keeps floating into my consciousness and I am wondering if quieting for Advent might be more like swimming upstream.

But I take some death breaths and try again and this time I see Jesus, exuberantly joyful and thankful, His face shining with delight, praying out loud in front of people.  He is so thrilled to know the secrets of the Kingdom, and He simply cannot keep them to himself.  He is excited to reveal them to His disciples.

This time when I read that He turns to speak to them, it feels as if that joyful face turns to look directly at me.  He lets me know that I don’t have to intellectualize or educate myself into knowledge and understanding of Him or His Kingdom.  In fact, it’s my simple comprehension, my childlike faith, and my ability to turn toward Him while the banging is going on next door that makes it easier for me to hear His message.  The more I try to be smart enough to get it, the harder it will be for me to grasp.  But when I willingly set that aside, let the noise go silent, and listen for His simple message of hope, love and grace, that’s when I begin to hear it.

Dear Lord, I choose to stop trying so hard to be worthy.  I let your truths wash over me.