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We have entered the season of Advent with rich themes of watchfulness, new life, fullness of time's promise, light and darkness.
Fr. Thomas Keating, O.C.S.O., one of the foremost teachers of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition, has said that Christianity is the path of heartfulness, the path of coming into a deep awareness of the love of God... to see Christ as present in everything and everyone... to heed the call to be transformed in Christ... and then to rely on God to enable us to pass on the mercy, forgiveness, compassion and love that we have received onto all humanity. For me, his words truly reflect the wonderful and amazing possibilities of Advent!
We are called by God, to open to a new reality that is our true Self made in the image and likeness of God-Self. The path to this true Self and all its fruits and gifts is the gift and challenge of becoming fully human. And to become fully human is to become fully divine. This human-divine identity is the fullness of life itself, a life abiding in the grace and truth of the Cosmic Christ consciousness, while at the same time, fully being the unique person we are called to be in this human life.
Advent is a time when we are invited to sink deeply into ourselves and re-orient ourselves to the world and to God. It is a humble time of recognizing one's need, and yearning for God's powerful presence to break into the world within us, through us. Let us open our hearts to God's grace and allow for learning, growing, giving, and receiving as we journey the "path of heartfulness" . Let us invite in our hearts a rekindled hope and deeper faith that leads us to new expressions of love and joy. Most of all, let us find in our hearts an expansive sense of God's presence and peace that blesses us and radiates out from us to bless everyone and everything in God's beautiful creation.
Enjoy the reflections and prayers in our bulletin these coming weeks!
Advent Blessings,
Rev Rosa
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FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT:
Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future
Reflection by Rev. Thomas Altepeter
Pastor, St. Clare ECC Parish in Spokane, WA
This week we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent. Christmas is only 24 days away! We have only begun, and I am already behind!! Yikes!!
We are probably all familiar with A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. In that story Scrooge encounters the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future. Thinking of Christmas in this way, as having (at least) three dimensions - past, present and future - can be a helpful way for us to put our experience of Christmas in its proper spiritual perspective. 'Christmas past' focuses us on the birth of Jesus, some 2000 years ago. This is worthy of our attention and reflection, as the wonderful mystery of the Incarnation - the reality that God has chosen to come and be with us in human form; to share our human experience with us. 'Christmas present' focuses us on this experience of the Incarnation happening here and now, within each one of us - the reality that God continues to choose to be with us, to pitch a tent within each of us, to abide within each of us. This is worthy of our attention and reflection, as we consider where we are in the process of cooperating with God's loving initiative with us. And, 'Christmas future' focuses us on the question of what difference all of this makes in our lives, as this time and in this place. What difference does it make, ultimately, that God became Incarnate in Jesus, and seeks to become incarnate in each of us? This is worthy of our attention and reflection, as it points us in the direction of making all of this real, and practical, in how we live our daily lives; how we cooperate with the movement of God's Spirit to transform our world - from injustice to justice, from violence to nonviolence, from domination to cooperation.
The first week of Advent focuses on 'Christmas present' -- the question of our personal conversion. This is commonly summed up in the word, 'Repentance.' Perhaps this is unfortunate, because many of us have been taught to think of 'repentance' as an excessive focus on our personal faults and shortcomings, with groveling in shame and guilt. But, this is a very narrow way to think about the biblical word, repent. The Greek word used in the New Testament, translated as 'repent,' has a much richer meaning. It means to go beyond the mind that you have; to leave behind the way that one perceives and thinks about oneself and the world; and to enter into a new mind-set, a new way of perceiving and thinking. And, as we consider it in the context of the Christmas event, it points us even more specifically: to leave behind the ways of perceiving and thinking that are characteristic of the 'Lords' of this world (whether they be political or cultural leaders, dominant cultural ways of thinking, dominant value systems, etc.) and to turn with our entire body, mind and spirit toward the 'Lord' that we name God. Perhaps, for us who live in 21st century America, it points us to reflect upon the values and priorities of our culture; to consider how these are consistent with or inconsistent with the values and priorities of God, as reflected in and through the human one, Jesus; and to consider whether there is room for, and perhaps a need for, repentance in our lives - repentance in the broader sense of leaving behind one way of perceiving, thinking and valuing, and embracing an alternative way.
Our gospel reading this week encourages us to 'Stay Awake! For, we do not know 'on which day the Lord will come.' We do not know what is ahead in our lives. This is an encouragement for us to be attentive and alert. This is the first stage of any real repentance; of any real change in our way of perceiving, thinking and valuing - to be attentive to what is happening around us, and especially within us. Our invitation, this week, is to be attentive; to be reflective; to consider where we are along the path of our conversion; to be honest with ourselves about the question of whether our values, choices and behaviors - our actual lived experience over the past days and weeks - are more in line with the values of our culture, and of this world; or more in line with the values of Jesus, and the 'Kingdom' of God.
Advent and Christmas are meant to change us! The simple message of Christmas is that what happened with Jesus - that the divine and the human were joined - is also meant to happen with us. 'Christmas past' shows us the pattern; 'Christmas present' is our 'main event' - the birth of Christ within us. 'Christmas future' is our living out this Christ presence in our daily lives.
May we be changed this year! May we each experience the deepening of the union of the divine and the human within us. May Christ be brought to life, once again, within us!
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All Are Welcome To The Table
Join us this Sunday, December 1st at 5:00pm for the First Sunday of Advent. We will be in the CHAPEL of the UU Church with Donna Bosco as Liturgical Facilitator, Rev Rosa Buffone as presider. --ALL ARE WELCOME--
Sustain us, O God,
on our Advent Journey
as we go forth to welcome
the One who is to come.
Plant within our hearts
your living Word of promise,
and make haste to help up
as we seek to understand
what we went out to see in the Advent wilderness:
your patience nurturing your saving purpose to fulfillment,
your power in Jesus making all things new.
--excepts from At Home with the Word
Click here for the Lectionary readings on this First Sunday of Advent and stimulating reflections and commentaries provided by The Center for Liturgy Sunday Website at Saint Louis University.
The Prayerful Meditation this week is Come Home To God a poem by Christine Sine Scroll down to end of bulletin for the prayer words with the option to click on the title to enjoy as an Advent meditation video.
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Faith In Action
The Wellesley Food Pantry has asked us to donate personal hygiene articles such as tooth paste/brush and hand soap for the coming year. Please bring your contributions any Sunday and delivery will be made the last Monday of each month between 9:00-10:30am. Let us know if you are available to deliver donations to the pantry. Thank you!
West Suburban Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bi/Trans Gender Youth (WAGLY) meets weekly in the UU Parish Hall. Monday 12/2 the youth will learn team-building skills to help with life situations in a more comfortable and confident way. Help spread the word-- the group is making a Big difference to teenage GLBTQ youth in the Metrowest area (and surrounding 37 cities and towns) who are looking for a social networking group!
FAMILY PROMISE Metrowest is a community response initiative for families that are homeless. Through faith communities and countless community resources the organization is able to provide temporary shelter, meals, job networking, skills training, childcare and more throughout the year to help these families get back onto solid ground. Holy Spirit is a support congregration of our host church, Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills.
~~ This year, our ADVENT GIVING TREE gifts will be for the families of this organization. Select angel cards from the tree beginning Dec.1, and bring items to the chapel by Dec. 15 ~~
Holy Spirit members volunteer at these programs throughout the year. Note, training is required if you think you might like to become involved. Speak to Debbie Packard or Rev Rosa for details on future training. Click on the organization's name to learn more:
WAGLY and
FAMILY PROMISE Metrowest
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Holy Spirit
Catholic Community
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