Paying attention
“Listen to the mustn'ts,
child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the
won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can
happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein
― Shel Silverstein
So often we listen to the “should
not”, “could not”, “must not”, “could not be” words around us and we miss the
wonder that is staring us in face. We
box ourselves in.
I am thinking about those pinhole
cameras we construct in order to view a total solar eclipse in safety. That little pinhole opens the shoebox and
allows the viewer to look at the sun in wonder and amazement. We can see what we have been told we “should
not look at directly”. We move beyond
the confines of our boxed existence to participate in the wonder of the
universe.
This Advent my theme is “Days of
Wonder, Days of Grace”. It is an
invitation to open ourselves to the wonder of the sacred story as we journey to
the stable to receive the Grace offered through the Christ Child.
For a moment, think about the
“mustn’t”s, the “shouldn’t”, the “impossibles”, the “won’ts” of first century
Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem as recorded in the birth narratives of the
Gospels.
“You must not marry her” was the
prevailing wisdom facing Joseph when it was known Mary, his betrothed, was
expecting a child. That broke all the
rules about honor and acceptability. By
all rights, Mary should not have been believed and she should have been shunned
and cast out of the community.
Fortunately Joseph listened to the wonder of a dream, the visitation of
an angel, and acted accordingly.
But
just when he resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the child conceived in her is
from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a
son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their
sins.
Matthew 1:20-21
Zechariah found out the hard way
that he “should not” question the divine revelation he experienced one day when
he was tasked to perform the incense offering in the Temple. There in the solitary space of the sanctuary
he heard the “impossible” news that his wife Elizabeth, well past child-bearing
years, would bear them a son who would be part of God’s redemptive plan for
humankind. Overcome with the
restrictions of his knowledge and the “way things were”, Zechariah could not
process his amazement at the revelation.
He was given some “quiet time” to reflect on the wonder of it all.
The
angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in
the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this
good news. But now, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute,
unable to speak, until the day these things occur.
Luke 1: 19-20
Zechariah’s silence and the
unfolding of events in accordance with the revelation dramatically changed his
life. His prophecy in Luke 1:67-79 is a
passionate affirmation of his wonder made real.
Mary was confronted with the
ultimate “impossible”. She too had a
divine visitation. She was told that she
had been chosen to bear the Christ child.
Mary’s response to this wondrous declaration is “Impossible”! Not so.
With God the impossible can become possible.
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.”
Luke 1:35
Joseph, Zechariah along with Elizabeth,
and Mary all experienced wonder – God present in and among the ordinary things
of life. Wonder is the unexpected
glimpse. Wonder can happen anywhere and
at anytime. Wonder is that which we see
through that pinhole of our boxed existence.
Wonder frees us to new possibilities.
Wonder touches us with the Holy.
This Advent season the invitation is
to open ourselves to those moments of wonder.
How might God be birthing a new creation in us? How might God be showing us a new path into
God’s wondrous and gracious presence?
How might God be asking us to “repent” – to “turn away” – from cynicism
and skepticism and leave our sheltered box behind?
The days in Advent, and all times,
are days of wonder. Advent takes us to
the stable where we experience Grace in the form of Jesus, our Lord and Savior,
born on Christmas day.
Grace and
Peace
Rev. Clara