Day 16 -- Dazzle on This Sixteenth Day of Advent

Sometimes I can't help myself: I have to look up a word in the dictionary and find out where it comes from. Dazzle drew me to the dictionary, but I promise to add in extra pictures starting with this one of dazzling Christmas cards.

The Middle English word daze meant and still means "stunned confusion or bewilderment." By the late 15th century daze led to dazzle which means a "blinding brightness." As I type this, I realize the shepherds on the hillside in Bethlehem must have been dazzled by the blinding brightness of an angel choir. Certainly that would lead to stunned confusion and bewilderment!

Today, someone or something with an impressive quality which amazes or overwhelms us dazzles us. The first picture that popped into my head for "dazzle" was a picture I thought I took of a nearby lake when the sun hit it in such a way that it looked like thousands of diamonds glittered on the surface. Alas, I did not have that picture so I tried taking another and my timing was off.

I found other older pictures with the diamond in the water quality.

Several thoughts came out of this meditation on the word "dazzle." Are situations more dazzling when they are rare? Do people weary of that which is dazzling when they see a constant barrage of "razzle dazzle"? Or, does it depend on our mindset? If we expect dazzle as our right and want each spectacle to be more dazzling than the next, we're bound to be disappointed. If we look for dazzling in the everyday, maybe we'll have more moments of overwhelming amazement at the beauty of people and nature and, yes, even things like Christmas cards. Truly all that glitters is not gold, and I neither worship temporary dazzling things nor eternal dazzling created beings, but my soul is drawn to that which is dazzling because my Triune God is dazzling first and always.

At the end of this day, I find my heart filled not only with amazement but also with gratitude.

 

Day 10 -- Watch on This Tenth Day of Advent and First Day of Hanukkah

I have read too many books. Okay, not really, but I've read enough that the word "watch" does not always bring up the best pictures. For the literary minded, there's that billboard in The Great Gatsby that is a bit freaky. I had to move past my immediate reactions to dig deeper into joyful meanings of "watch." I found them in three places: "Grandma, watch me!" "Shepherds watch were keeping," and the Maccabees watching in amazement as, according to the rabbinical commentary Gemara (Shabbat 21b), oil that would last only one day remained burning for eight days.

Why the granddaughter faced the shepherd and sheep in that direction, I'm not sure. Are they contemplating the hard climb ahead? Or are they in a valley, unaware that there will be a rough road ahead? Ah, but at the end of that rough road will be a blessing.

In the same way, after a great battle, the Jewish people dedicated their temple -- the Hebrew word for dedication is Hanukkah. While there is a reference to Hanukkah in the New Testament (John 10:22-23 -- "Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade"), we can't be certain how it was observed beyond it being a Festival of Lights (as recorded by Josephus); nonetheless, the current observation is a beautiful one. The blessings recited are as follows:

We praise You, Eternal God, 
Sovereign of the universe: 
You hallow us with Your Mitzvot, 
and command us to 
kindle the Hanukkah lights. 

We praise You, Eternal God, 
Sovereign of the universe; 
You showed wonders to our 
fathers/mothers in days of old 
at this season. 

Children play a Hanukkah game called Dreidel (Yiddish for "to turn"). The dreidel is spun and when it falls, the Hebrew letter on top determines the amount won or lost (in our case, marbles).

The letters Nun, Gimmel, Heh, and Shin are the first letters of the following words: Nes Gadol Haya Shin which means "A great miracle happened there."

On the first night only of the eight days of Hanukkah, the following blessing, the She-heh-cheh'yanu, is said:

We praise You, Eternal God, 
Sovereign of the universe, 
for giving us life, for sustaining us, 
and for enabling us to reach 
this season.

For many, including for me and mine,  this has been a hard and difficult season, one in which a Gentle Shepherd has kept watch and we look forward to saying, "A great miracle happened there." 

Contemplating Epiphany and Hope

I imagine I heard the word "Epiphany" while attending church when I was young; however, the word did not have any meaning for me until I took literature classes in college. In literature, epiphanies break forth in a character's life (or in the reader's mind) with the brilliance of a bright light in a dark room. A character is suddenly aware of knowledge about which he or she was previously in the dark. In chapter thirty-six of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Bingley says, "Till this moment I never knew myself." Often an epiphany causes us to realize as Jane did that we have been "blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd." 

It is difficult to have an epiphany when we move through our lives at such a rapid pace. Contemplation, to stay still long enough and quiet enough to give some thought attention, to meditate on it, enables me to change. I want change; I want to grow into a more loving, kind, thoughtful person. I need time with God to change. Yesterday, it did not take a lot of time for me to contemplate Epiphany. I spent five to ten minutes and then the thoughts just kept coming throughout the day. Yet, contemplation does take a beginning, a willingness to be quiet and thought-filled.  

In Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the main character, John (the Savage) insists, "…it is natural to believe in God when you're alone -- quite alone, in the night, thinking about death…" 

Mustapha Mond, Controller of this brave new world, responds, "But people are never alone now. We make them hate solitude; and we arrange their lives so that it's almost impossible for them ever to have it." In the final chapter, John pays the ultimate price in a society where "nothing costs enough" -- the people don't have to deny themselves in any way to get the things they want, and they don't want anything they've not been conditioned to want. 

Huxley wrote twenty years after the book came out that he wished he had provided the Savage a third alternative, in that neither culture in the book was worth living for. Epiphanies without hope lead to deep dark pits -- a possible reason why people, not only in Brave New World, but also in our brave new world avoid contemplation and solitude. 

The Epiphany of over two thousand years ago brought with it Hope. God revealed Himself to Magi, wise men, men from the East. Not Jewish. 

Gentiles. What amazing hope I have in God who esteems, values and respects, women (as well as men, but in those days, the status of women was nil), who esteems shepherds (when no one in that culture would have), who esteems and loves outsiders (God draws them to Himself and guides them).

Yesterday's time of contemplation was not difficult. Perhaps it will be in the future, but tomorrow I write on practices of Wholeness. :D 

A Host of Angels -- Day 22 of Advent

We finally come to the final Sunday in Advent. The last candle, the Angels' Candle (not always called this, but many do), is lit. I have read that it represents "peace" even though I also read that one or more of the previous candles represented peace. As I travel through this Advent season, I am getting a feel for how I am drawn in at each stage of Advent. I can see where this candle would be the Angels candle, the peace candle, and also, the glory candle…not that I read of anyone calling it the glory candle.

Along with the shepherds we have angels. Actually, come to think of it, angels have figured in quite a bit: an angel spoke to Zacharias (John the Baptist's dad, Elisabeth's husband, Mary's cousin), to Mary, to Joseph, to the shepherds, and to Joseph again, so I think an angel candle is fitting.

But, I don't think any of the angels looked like this angel, even though I think this card which our family received this year is beautiful.

Nor do I think any looked like this angel on a card we received last year. People were extremely afraid when they saw an angel or an army of angels. The shepherds were "sore afraid." The angel greeting them said,"Fear not." Angels are always saying, "Fear not." There must be a reason why they say, "Fear not." So, it is rather strange to me that the angel candle is associated with peace. Yet, peace is what the angels spoke over the shepherds as the heavenly host praised God.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

God's intentions have always included peace on earth, good will toward men. It is our own power struggles and greed that causes a lack of peace. We want what we want and when we don't get what we want, we fight for it. Jesus came to show a better way, a way of life and truth and grace.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14).

"Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord." 

What Sign Will It Take For Us To Have Joy? -- Day 15 and 16 of Advent

This is where our shepherd and his sheep wait while Mary and Joseph journey to "Bethlehem" (aka fireplace mantle). Our lone shepherd keeps vigilant watch until good news comes to him.

"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger'" (Luke 2:8-12).

Obviously the shepherds' first thought was not good news of great joy when an angel stood before them. They were terrified. Yet, this week of Advent, we celebrate using the Shepherds' Candle -- the Candle of Joy. I am distracted as I write this. A little bird (pictured below) keeps flying into my window.

I've heard of birds flying into windows before, and I read that I should put up stickers so that they would know they were flying into a window (not that I thought my windows were so crystal clear). So, I did. Clearly, I posted a sign: "This is a window." The bird has continued to fly into it. I stood in front of the window. A sign: "People live here." I put the stickers on the outside of the  window. Maybe the bird is someone's escaped house bird. So, I tried to entice it. I tried capturing it. Nothing is working. I tried turning lights on in the house. I tried darkening the house. I tried chasing the bird away. Sign after sign. Your joy is not found in flying into this window. It is elsewhere, little bird.

Finally, silence. I cautiously look to see if the bird is lying on the ground. It is not, and I am thankful. Maybe this is just what I needed to write about today. How often do I ignore the signs? Something happens out of the ordinary, out of my comfort zone, maybe just out of my accustomed way of doing things, whether comfortable or not, and I am terrified. Then, I continue to insist on flying the route I want to fly instead of seeing all the signs: Good news of great joy -- go the way of your Savior, your Messiah, your Lord.