As we venture into the third week of advent, the elements of winter -\u2013
\nthat seem so antithetic and threatening to life \u2013 expand the
\nparameters of their reign.\u00a0 We are venturing \u2013 as Joseph Conrad might
\nsay \u2013 into The Heart of Darkness.\u00a0 I am struck in the readings by the
\nrelationship that is being requested between the Natural and the
\nSupernatural, between the Physical and the Metaphysical \u2013 and likewise
\nbetween the Mind (which can conceive) and the Body (and its senses,
\nwhich are confined to the immediate physical and transitory realm of
\nexistence).\u00a0 It is not only a relationship – but an argument, a
\ndialogue, a discourse\u00a0 \u2013 one which arbitrates between that which is
\nevident and apparent in ostensible realm of the human experience, –
\nand that which resides beyond the mere image and appearance of the
\ntemporal, material plane – and which contributes to a disparity
\nbetween the spiritual and the material , the mystical and the mundane,
\nthe sacred and the profane.<\/p>\n
Again, advent is a theological construct that implants itself at a
\npoint in the calendar year when\u00a0 the severe and extreme conditions of
\nthe natural world force us to experience the threshold of our
\ntolerance and limitations. The hostile forces of nature become so
\nfierce and so unmitigating in the external landscape, that they
\nconnive to abolish all sense of hope. The elements of darkness and
\ncold become increasingly more vicious and unrelenting in their
\nassault. It is an exceedingly arduous and difficult passage of time
\nduring which we are asked to withstand a darkness that intensifies and
\ngrows more pervasive with each day that passes.\u00a0 And as Light in our
\nworld diminishes, so does Warmth.\u00a0 The earth is no longer capable of
\nreplenishing the sustenance necessary for survival. Things become more
\ngaunt, more attenuated, more grim \u2013 as do our spirits.\u00a0 If logic and
\nreason were confined to the mere material realm, and the information
\ntransmitted through the physical senses, our outlooks would be
\npsychically gruesome \u2013 and apocalyptic. For it would feel and appear
\nas if the tyrannical reign of darkness were going to overtake and
\ntriumph over the power of light, as if the frigid temperatures that
\nbetray the capacity of life and growth were going to irrevocably
\nsubsume and engulf. The sense of Anarchy and anxiety induced by
\ndarkness is replacing the certitude and assurance of form and order
\nwhich typify the Illumined world. It is chilling and grim.
\nUnderstandably such apprehensions \u2013 ratified by the factual realm,
\nmetabolize into fear, anxiety, hopelessness and futility. It is easy
\nto get apocalyptic in our distress and despair. It would seem that
\ndissolution and decay,\u00a0 have victor-ed over the creative, the
\nregenerative.\u00a0 Death seems to be winning over Life. And it is this
\nfear, anxiety, terror, and hopelessness, induced by that which is
\noccurring on the outside, and in the Natural kingdom –\u00a0 that brings us
\nto God \u2013 and to the other worldly considerations. That brings us to
\nmeditation and prayer.\u00a0 And that brings us to the aspect in our own
\nnature that conceives and believes and interacts with the divine.\u00a0\u00a0 As
\nif there is within the human anatomy, in addition to the more physical
\nattributes that define the species, the small kernel, the seed which
\nsignifies the capacity to understand, address, and await God. This
\nkernel, is the manger in which salvation will be delivered. It is the
\ngrotto.\u00a0 It is primitive and hidden beneath the layers of artifice,
\nedifice and civilization.\u00a0 Beneath Image and Appearance.<\/p>\n
And even now, the days continue to grow darker, colder, more ominous.
\nThe readings are those that offer hope to subsidize our endurance.
\nThey offer assurance\u00a0\u00a0 Not to give up \u2013 to wait \u2013to have faith.\u00a0 As I
\nshared before, there is no greater feeling than to sense that God is
\nwith us, to feel the inextricable presence of the divine in the
\nimmediacy of our lives and our spirits, our surroundings.\u00a0 To
\nexperience God in the present moment.\u00a0 But often, the human experience
\nimplies feeling forsaken or abandoned \u2013 experiencing the absence of
\nthe sacred or the divine.\u00a0 Of\u00a0 having our spirits eroded by Doubt. It
\nis then we must rely on the scaffolding and framework, that our Faith
\nas Christians and our belief system provides, to pull us through. It
\nis an inner construct.\u00a0\u00a0 Symbolically, just as what we are being asked
\nto persevere as we approach the threshold our our limitations, a voice
\ncries out in the wilderness, assuring us that salvation is on its way.
\nOur readings during this challenging time of the year are infused
\nwith John\u2019s Assurance, his unassailable Certitude of what is to come.
\nAnd so we await in joyful anticipation. In eager expectancy. Out of
\nthe wilderness appears John The Baptist proclaiming the imminence of
\nthe Lord, urging us to keep fast the straight and narrow, to get rid
\nof the highs and lows, not to deviate,\u00a0 to fix the straightest course
\nin our consciousness and souls between ourselves and God.\u00a0 The
\nshortest distance between two points. John arrives not from a
\nsynagogue, not from civilization, not from the social, political, or
\neconomic construct, but out of the wilderness to assure us that Help
\nis on the way, and to prepare ourselves to receive\u00a0 – and perceive its
\npresence when it arrives.\u00a0 As we know from being seasoned, such divine
\npresence and Holiness will be controversial, denied, refuted,<\/p>\n
In Isaiah, we are prepared to anticipate
\nthe utter transformation and revolution that will occur as a result
\nof God\u2019s arrival and presence into our lives, That which is barren
\nwill be made fruitful, that which is dry and parched will be
\nmoistened, the high shall be made low, etc.\u00a0 Such attributes are are
\nreiterated on an emotional, political and social level by Mary in The
\nMagnificat .\u00a0 Where God is present all is transformed.\u00a0 The ordinary
\nis extraordinary.\u00a0 The First become Last, The Humble Exalted.\u00a0\u00a0 I am
\nmost touched in The Isaiah reading\u00a0 by the reference to a path \u2013 a
\nholy path amidst all the otherwise unsanguine aspects of
\nexistence\u2026This is the spiritual path\u2026And it exists within the
\nsubterfuge of each moment \u2013 and of each extraneous construct \u2013 it
\nexists within\u00a0 and in spite of any social, political and economic
\nsystem –\u00a0 Offering a course,\u00a0 a sense of direction, guidance, and
\ndeliverance.\u00a0 Holy things are for the Holy.\u00a0\u00a0 This is a path we
\nfollow, as people of a sublime faith, toward the metaphorical promised
\nland, the kingdom of God, It is the journey from darkness to light.
\nfrom bondage toward liberation, from damnation toward salvation.\u00a0 It
\noffers Deliverance.<\/p>\n
In the gospel reading Christ acknowledges and affirms the promises of
\ntransformation anticipated in both Isaiah and the Psalm\u2026And Christ
\nestablishes a correspondence between the heavens and the earth,
\nbetween the divine and the mortal, His presence and power encourages
\nand relies on the\u00a0 testimonies of those whom he serves. It is not
\ndictatorial or dogmatic in that regard. It is not estranged from
\nhumankind.\u00a0\u00a0 It invites us.\u00a0 It needs and requires our eyes, our ears,
\nour mouths, We are active participants in the ministries.\u00a0 The news is
\ncarried from John to Christ and back again through messengers.
\nThrough mortals.\u00a0 We bear witness and give testimony.\u00a0 It is a
\ndialogue.\u00a0 A discourse. A correspondence.\u00a0 Sometimes we carry the
\nmessage.\u00a0 Sometimes we are the message.\u00a0 Christ\u00a0 signifies the mediary
\nambassador between the supernatural and the natural, the divine and
\nthe corporeal, the sacred and the profane.\u00a0 His ministries require our
\nparticipation \u2013 and in order to participate we must abolish our own
\nseparateness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As we venture into the third week of advent, the elements of winter -\u2013 that seem so antithetic and threatening to life \u2013 expand the parameters of their reign.\u00a0 We are venturing \u2013 as Joseph Conrad might say \u2013 into The Heart of Darkness.\u00a0 I am struck in the readings by the relationship that is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories-from-our-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1969"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1971,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969\/revisions\/1971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chilmarkchurch.org\/service\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}