This from Chris Goan https://thisfragiletent.com
And so the
advent journey comes towards its apotheosis. Thank you to those who have made
the journey with us.
We have not
put up a tree this year...until today.
It will not
be a traditional spruce, we will follow a recent tradition of choosing some
bare branches from a birch or willow the woods at the bottom of our garden.
Emily is always a little disparaging, calling it our 'twig', but I love it for
several reasons.
I love the fact that we are bringing
something inside the house from just outside.
I love the fact that no tree has died to make
our Christmas celebration more decorative. Birch and willow adapted to the
activities of large herbivores, mostly not here any more- the giant elk and the
hairy elephants that tore through these parts when the woods were wild.
removing a few branches just encourages these trees to coppice.
I love that we are doing this on Christmas
eve, to mark both the first incarnation (creation) and the second one in the
form of Emmanuel.
I love too that this is a tree in winter,
without leaves, but with tiny buds. It is a tree that reminds me that what is
now dark will find the light once more.
Everything was created through
him;
Nothing - not one thing! -
came into being without him.
What came into existence
was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out
of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
(John
chapter 1, from the Message)
A couple of
days ago, I tried to describe the first incarnation as the Great Becoming,
starting with the great explosion of love that was the Big Bang.
Perhaps we
might describe this second incarnation as the Great Compassion, in which what
was zoomed out was now zoomed right in.
What was
distant was now near.
What was
heavenly was now human.
On this Christmas eve, it is
appropriate to allow space for wonder.
It is appropriate to speak of this
great mystery that we call God.
Let's hold those around us whilst we do
it.
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