December 02, 2019
Every time we visited my wife's grandparents' home, my children were drawn to the antique pewter crumb catcher and 7 coasters (3 white, 4 orange...and they were definitely from some 1970's Tupperware party). Those household items lived in the underside of the coffee table in the sitting room. But these were more than just a crumb catcher and some coasters. Our children would gravitate towards these objects like I am drawn to dark chocolate.
With these simple household objects, our children placed feasts before me and my family. They transformed these items into soup and soda, coffee and cookies! We were well fed every time we came over to this home, because our children had wild and generous imaginations.
When we are children, we behold the joy of seeing with eyes full of wonder. But along the way somewhere - whether through schooling or aging or peer pressure or just plain "growing up" - we begin to lose the sense of wonder that allows us to feed a household with just one crumb catcher and 7 coasters (3 white, 4 orange)...perhaps that same loss of wonder keeps us from seeing that Jesus could feed a crowd with just 5 loaves and 2 fish...but I digress.
That sense of wonder is what this season of Advent is all about. We are invited to behold God's magnificence in each and every movement of our bodies, with each thought, with each moment of wonder. We are called in this season to pause and appreciate the sense of urgency with which God's Kingdom is breaking into our lives. We are called - once again - to see with eyes of wonder and to be ready for Christ's coming.
Jesus says that two will be working in the field: one will be taken up; one will remain. Also, a thief will come in the night, but if you had known the thief was coming, wouldn't you have prepared for the thief?
In our baptism, our whole selves are washed...even our eyes. We see the world in a new way. And the best part is that we don't even necessarily need good physical eyesight to see with eyes of wonder. In fact, we don't need physical eyesight at all to sense that God's Spirit is doing a new thing in us and through us. We can all "look" forward to the day when Jesus will come again. We can let the Spirit guide us into the sense of wonder that our baptism is ALREADY WORKING IN US!
How will we know the Spirit's wonder is settling into your being?
Maybe you will be given a sign. Maybe you will turn from living in a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.
Or maybe you will simply be satisfied with the meal that comes from one pewter crumb catcher and 7 coasters (3 white and 4 orange).
Peace, Pr. Michael Jannett
With these simple household objects, our children placed feasts before me and my family. They transformed these items into soup and soda, coffee and cookies! We were well fed every time we came over to this home, because our children had wild and generous imaginations.
When we are children, we behold the joy of seeing with eyes full of wonder. But along the way somewhere - whether through schooling or aging or peer pressure or just plain "growing up" - we begin to lose the sense of wonder that allows us to feed a household with just one crumb catcher and 7 coasters (3 white, 4 orange)...perhaps that same loss of wonder keeps us from seeing that Jesus could feed a crowd with just 5 loaves and 2 fish...but I digress.
That sense of wonder is what this season of Advent is all about. We are invited to behold God's magnificence in each and every movement of our bodies, with each thought, with each moment of wonder. We are called in this season to pause and appreciate the sense of urgency with which God's Kingdom is breaking into our lives. We are called - once again - to see with eyes of wonder and to be ready for Christ's coming.
Jesus says that two will be working in the field: one will be taken up; one will remain. Also, a thief will come in the night, but if you had known the thief was coming, wouldn't you have prepared for the thief?
In our baptism, our whole selves are washed...even our eyes. We see the world in a new way. And the best part is that we don't even necessarily need good physical eyesight to see with eyes of wonder. In fact, we don't need physical eyesight at all to sense that God's Spirit is doing a new thing in us and through us. We can all "look" forward to the day when Jesus will come again. We can let the Spirit guide us into the sense of wonder that our baptism is ALREADY WORKING IN US!
How will we know the Spirit's wonder is settling into your being?
Maybe you will be given a sign. Maybe you will turn from living in a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.
Or maybe you will simply be satisfied with the meal that comes from one pewter crumb catcher and 7 coasters (3 white and 4 orange).
Peace, Pr. Michael Jannett
