In an attempt to get back into blogging (and thus back into writing about things as an opportunity to stretch my thinking and process my thoughts) I've joined a few linky things. Last Friday I did Lisa-Jo's Five Minute Friday and today I'm participating in a four-week advent pause series hosted by Floss.So here it is...
This term has seen us join our local Anglican church. It's been great to be able to walk to a church just over 5 minutes away and to worship right in the heart of the community we're living in, getting to know folk who live round about. It's also the most traditional and liturgical Anglican church I've ever been involved with and I'm discovering a new appreciation for liturgy, tradition, ritual and repetition. There's peace, wonder and beauty in it. But that's for another post, another day.
In the liturgical calendar, the start of advent is the start of a new year. I'd never really thought of it like this before, but it makes a lot of sense. Through advent we wait for and prepare for the birth of a baby, a king, of God. A new life that brought new life.
There was one single word that struck me during yesterday's service.
humility
The idea that God. GOD! Bigger than anything that is or can be imagined. More powerful than anything we can see or experience. Beyond, before, above and around all that is, has been and will ever be. God. God in all his vastness made himself humble, coming to earth not as the most powerful of creatures but as a baby. Dependent, small, fragile. That's humility.
God comes to earth and tries to be human.
Humans come to earth and try to be gods.
It's great to have you as part of our Pause in Advent! Humility is such an important word - thank you. I think I've just caught up on all the Advent posts now and these are the things that will stay with me: simplicity, pace, humble preparation for God. I wonder if I'll be able to hold onto these thoughts as I leave the blogging world and head out into the real one again? I shall look forward to your other posts and to getting to know you a bit more over the course of this month.
ReplyDelete"God comes to earth and tries to be human.
ReplyDeleteHumans come to earth and try to be gods."
Oh my, you have got straight to such a point! Yes, humility is so so so so important to think about in this season. True humility, like Jesus.
Thank you for this Rach and so glad you are joining in!!
x
I think that you have caught all of the gobsmacking almost unbelievable-ness of this season: God becoming Man. Becoming part of this broken, messy world and healing it with his own hands. It is beyond comprehension, beyond belief - and yet it is so. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHumility, a hard thing. This last week I was brought to my knees in tears, embarrassment ... humility? Or shame, perhaps. Anyway, the outcome was good, so the process might have been necessary.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, and I shall remember new beginnings.