1st Advent 2010, Surrounded by Angels

1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the

nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And men will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory.

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near.

And he gave them a comparison, saying, ‘Observe [behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of Man’s being shall not pass away until all has happened.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare…for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

1^st Advent Sunday

November 28, 2010

Luke 21: 25 -36

A woman who is about to give birth is racked with pain. Wave after wave of contraction sweeps over her, for giving birth is hard labor. It requires endurance and strength. But at the end she and all around her experience the radiant wonder that a tiny human being, surrounded by angels, has arrived on earth.

Today’s reading is a description of the birth pangs of humanity; constriction, anxiety, and doubt wash over us as world events, earth events, sweep over us. They require our strength and endurance. For the outcome is the birth of the Son of Man.

They also require our wakefulness. For this birth is not a physical one. It happens rather in the realm of life that permeates both us and our earth. It happens within perceptive human souls. To perceive this birth, we struggle to stay awake amid the excesses of the season. We are surrounded by angels.

Many are the human beings who, in their hour of extreme need, have raised their souls to the spirit in prayer. And in their soul is born the power and radiance of a paradoxical peace. A calm settles over them, and they feel the nearness of God. They are surrounded by angels.

As David Whyte remarks:

These are hard paths we tread

…..

I know that …

Sulamith Wulfing

storms break over,

…and you will not move

while the voice all around

tears the air

and fills the sky with jagged light.

But sometimes unawares

those sounds seem to descend

as if kneeling down into you

and you listen strangely caught

as the terrible voice moving closer

halts,

and in the silence

now arriving

whispers

Get up, I depend

on you utterly.

Everything you need

you had

the moment before

you were born.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1]  David Whyte, “Waking”, in Where Many Rivers Meet