{"id":587,"date":"2017-12-11T02:20:33","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T02:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/?p=587"},"modified":"2017-12-11T02:20:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T02:20:33","slug":"walking-in-the-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/?p=587","title":{"rendered":"Walking in the Darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That\u2019s where we\u2019re headed in Advent, these words from Isaiah that we\u2019ll read on Christmas Eve.\u00a0 Advent is a journey set in the darkest weeks of the year, as the days grow shorter and shorter.\u00a0 Even after the solstice, a few days before Christmas, we don\u2019t yet see enough lengthening in daylight to hope for the end of the winter and the light to be restored.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The path in daylight … I won’t be seeing this in the mornings anytime soon<\/p><\/div>\n

This time of year, when the temperature allows for being outdoors (by being within a few degrees of freezing), my morning walks take place in the dark.\u00a0 There\u2019s just a bit of a reprieve around the time change, but week or two after the switch back to Daylight Wasting Time, I\u2019m back in the dark on my morning walks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This walking in the dark has prompted me to consider what is useful in terms of light \u2026 and what is not.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Most useful is a full (or nearly full) moon in a cloudless sky.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t as bright as day, but the soft light is enough to see the path, to see familiar landmarks, and (likely) to be seen by others.\u00a0 Unfortunately, this phase of the moon lasts for just a few days and the sky must be cloudless, which is a rare thing in Minnesota.\u00a0 A cloudless sky in winter typically means the temperature is so far below freezing that every drop of moisture has frozen out of the atmosphere \u2026 which also means I am NOT walking outside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The streetlights generally help.\u00a0 For aesthetic considerations and a quieter neighborhood, the overall light level is low.\u00a0 But the lights are directed down to the streets and walkways and the lights are close enough to see where you\u2019re going (in most places).\u00a0 However, it isn\u2019t enough light that a pedestrian can be sure that drivers have a good chance of seeing her.\u00a0 In some places, the walkway curves away from the road and drops below grade.\u00a0 For that part of the path, the streetlights up by the road don\u2019t provide enough light to see where the path goes.\u00a0 Along the one major road through the neighborhood, the streetlights are on one side of the street and the sidewalk is on the other.\u00a0 The lights along that area help the drivers \u2013 not the pedestrians.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What does not help at all is the glare from headlights of approaching cars.\u00a0 Much like the streetlights, the headlights are designed and positioned in such a way as to best assist the driver behind the wheel \u2013 not those outside of the car.\u00a0 Rather than illuminate the area in front of me, the glare of on-coming headlights floods the area with so much light, it washes out nearly everything between the light source and me.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like the inverse of \u201call dark\u201d blind, but it\u2019s a form of blindness just the same.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For times like these, when the on-coming glare of headlights is too much or when the streetlights are insufficient for my needs, I\u2019m really glad to have my flashlight.\u00a0 In many ways, my flashlight is the most useful light of all.\u00a0 I can turn it on when I need the light and point it where I need the light to be.\u00a0 I can have a focused, bright light if I need that, or a softer, more widespread light.\u00a0 The flashlight also has a strobe feature, which is helpful when I need to cross streets as it is much more able to catch the attention of drivers than I am. Drivers who don\u2019t normally yield to pedestrians do when the strobe light is flashing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s hard to walk in the dark \u2026 where does my next step land? \u2026 what might be in the way to trip my feet? \u2026 is the path ahead level or is there a dip I cannot see? \u2026 what else is along the path that might be a hazard?\u00a0 I know the path I walk very well from all the months I\u2019ve walked it in the bright, morning light.\u00a0 Even in dim light, I\u2019m fairly sure of the way.\u00a0 But if I didn\u2019t know the path or if there were crossings or points of divergence, having light with which to see would be essential to avoid losing my way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving through the weeks of Advent is kind of like these morning walks in the dark.\u00a0 In some ways, it is a familiar path \u2026 a cycle of weeks that comes around each year \u2026 the familiar countdown rhythm that leads to the Christmas celebrations \u2026 a wheel that turns like clockwork.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We know the stories \u2026 the Annunciation \u2026 the mysterious, miraculous pregnancies (mostly for Mary, but also for Elizabeth) \u2026 the visions of angels who announce what God is doing \u2026 the waiting and the watching \u2026 the cry of John the Baptizer: \u201cPrepare the way of the Lord!\u201d\u00a0 Even if these aren\u2019t necessarily the passages read in churches and homes each week through Advent, these are the subjects of our Advent hymns.\u00a0 The hymns of Advent aren\u2019t heard much outside of churches \u2013 not like the Christmas hymns and carols that have become standards alongside more secular Christmas music that plays almost non-stop from November until year\u2019s end in the stores and on radio stations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t necessarily need these external guides to show us the way and tell us when we are in time.\u00a0 We know the path we travel.\u00a0 We have our routines of preparations, how to get things done, signs that the expected event of Christmas is at hand \u2026 the tree, the lights, maybe candles on a wreath \u2026 the smells of fresh pine and spices and sugar \u2026 the rustle of paper and the slicing of scissors and the whispers of tape dispensers.\u00a0 Like a well-trodden path or the hands of the clock, these things tell us where we are and when we are.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But like walking in the dark, sometimes it is good to have a light, something to help us see.\u00a0 And like my morning walks in the dark, some lights are very helpful while certain others are no help at all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Least helpful to the Advent journey is the swirl and clamor and glare of the cultural Christmas celebration.\u00a0 It\u2019s all glitter and sparkle and overly bright and shiny.\u00a0 There\u2019s the whirl and swirl of activities and festivities.\u00a0 There\u2019s the endless to-do list that gets longer, not shorter, with each item accomplished \u2026 oh, don\u2019t forget this other thing \u2026 oh, now there\u2019s this to take care of \u2026 oh, sure, I can squeeze this in, too \u2026 on and on and on it goes.\u00a0 There\u2019s the blare of the holiday music that\u2019s been playing for a month now \u2026 the same tunes on the radio as in the stores \u2026 the same singers with their once-new takes on old classics \u2026 maybe made worse for \u201cfresh arrangements\u201d or up-to-date instrumentation or auto tune.\u00a0 Then there are the crowds of people everywhere, the long lines, the overtired and whining children along with their frustrated adults (who sometimes aren\u2019t any better).\u00a0 Like the glaring headlights of the approaching cars as I walk, these things wash out all the peace, the quiet, the space for contemplation and reflection \u2026 the whole point of the Advent season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And just what is the point of this season we call \u201cAdvent\u201d?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it about getting ready for Christmas?\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t that mean all the things we\u2019re doing to get ready for the main event are, in fact, part of the Advent season of preparation?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ah \u2026 but this is where the cultural approach to Christmas is like the streetlights along the path I walk in the dark.\u00a0 Yes, sometimes these things are helpful an aid support in our Advent observance as we indeed do look toward Christmas and the coming of Jesus as the baby born that holy night in a stable somewhere in the little town of Bethlehem where he was laid to sleep in a manger because there was no crib for his bed.\u00a0 Like the streetlights along the walk path, the guiding lights of culture can assist our preparations.\u00a0 However, like the streetlights along my walking path, sometimes the path we\u2019re on diverges from where the lights are \u2026 and sometimes the lights are lighting another way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The cultural calls to prepare for Christmas don\u2019t help when they pressure us towards consumption of things we don\u2019t need (gifts or food), to buy more than our means honestly can accommodate, to have unrealistic expectations of what our holiday celebrations \u201cshould\u201d look like (the perfect tree, the perfect d\u00e9cor, the perfect gifts, the perfect table, the perfect everything).\u00a0 Following these would-be guiding lights can only lead to disappointment because they lead us to expect more than can possibly be done or arranged or provided.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And even at best, when the focus is on the right thing \u2013 the birth of Jesus, the lights around us might still take us off our intended path.\u00a0 If the focus is only on the baby in the manger, caroled by candlelight on Christmas Eve, celebrated in the exchange of gifts (birthday presents in Jesus\u2019 name we give to each other), then we\u2019re still a bit off the path.\u00a0 Christmas isn\u2019t just about a poor couple\u2019s baby born in a barn.\u00a0 It\u2019s about God breaking into the world \u2013 how God broke into the world then \u2026 which gives us some clues as to how God might be breaking in now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In the midst of all this, the practices of Advent are a lot like my trusty flashlight on those morning walks in the dark.\u00a0 The practices of Advent put the light where we need it to be, to show us the path we intend to be on, to help us avoid what might trip us or cause us to stumble as we find our way through this dark and confusing time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way of telling what bumps or stumps or rocks or unexpected breaks in the surface might be lurking as we make our way in through the darkness of Advent this year.\u00a0 We\u2019ve seen plenty of disasters already.\u00a0 The people in Puerto Rico and Florida and Houston are still struggling to rebuild their lives that were ripped apart by hurricanes this summer.\u00a0 We remember how children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary were brutally murdered in Advent five years ago, shattering the season for so many.\u00a0 There\u2019s no way to know what form of chaos will spin its way out of the nation\u2019s capitol next.\u00a0 Here in my area, a decision about charges in the latest high-profile shooting by a police officer could be coming any day now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We can\u2019t turn off \u2013 or even fully unplug \u2013 from the Christmas dazzle all around us (even if we want to).\u00a0 We can\u2019t prevent things in the world around us from disrupting our peace and disturbing our path.\u00a0 The world keeps moving.\u00a0 Life keeps happening, the good and the bad.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But we can steward are time, watch how we use our minutes and days and hours \u2026 choose carefully where we invest our energy.\u00a0 Such discipline is like that flashlight, guiding our attention to where we need to be looking, what we need to watch for \u2026 showing us the way we intend to travel so we can take our steps accordingly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I don\u2019t have to walk in the dark on these mornings.\u00a0 I have other options \u2026 places to walk inside where it\u2019s not just warm, there\u2019s also light.\u00a0 But I choose to walk in the dark \u2026 to be outside \u2026 to connect with the physical world around me \u2026 the rhythm of the seasons \u2026 the cycles of life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Observing the season of Advent is that same sort of intentional engagement.\u00a0 It is choosing to walk the dark, yet familiar way.\u00a0 It requires both intention and attention.\u00a0 It takes effort to stay on the way \u2026 to take the time out of the rush for quiet contemplation \u2026 to sit with the small light of candles in hope and expectation that a greater light will come \u2026 to look at the coming of God in the Jesus story so we can better see the coming of God in our stories.\u00a0 We won\u2019t see these things unless we\u2019re looking \u2026 unless we know where to look \u2026 take the time to look \u2026 and have some light by which to see.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Author of time, Creator of Earth and its seasons, Keeper of Eternity \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As our seasons cycle again into winter\u2019s darkness<\/em><\/p>\n

As the year of your Church moves from the end of one cycle into the advent of a new<\/em><\/p>\n

As the calendar that has marked this year enters the final weeks and we wait for a new one to begin<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We light this small flame<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Turning again to your promise to come once more<\/em><\/p>\n

Remembering how you came to us a baby in Bethlehem\u2019s manger<\/em><\/p>\n

Trusting your presence that has sustained us to this time<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

May the hope of your coming and the light of your presence sustain us through the darkness of winter.\u00a0 As we wait for the day of your promise, may your birth in our darkness renew our hope and life as we watch and wait for your return and the coming of the Day.<\/em><\/p>\n

Amen<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light \u2026   That\u2019s where we\u2019re headed in Advent, these words from Isaiah that we\u2019ll read on Christmas Eve.\u00a0 Advent is a journey set in the darkest weeks of the year, as the days grow shorter and shorter.\u00a0 Even after …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-life","category-events-topics","category-musings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=587"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":593,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions\/593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/maybegoosefeathers.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}