As you think about God as Beginning and the origins of God-with-Us in the person of Jesus Christ, consider the following quotes from a conversation between Cole Arthur Riley, author of Black Liturgies, and Rachael Clinton Chen, trauma care practitioner and pastor, on the podcast entitled "Living in the Tension of Advent." If you have a chance, you can listen to the whole conversation using the link above.

“There is a radical upending for how we imagine power, how we imagine God’s rescue. We’re talking about a story where God embodies such vulnerability to entrust God-self to the womb of a human woman.” 

—Rachael Clinton Chen

“What are the ways that I get to participate in the birthing of God, the expectant waiting of this season?” 

—Rachael Clinton Chen

Indeed, what does it mean to participate in the birthing of God and in the expectant waiting of this season? What does it mean to you that for nine months Jesus grew in the quiet warmth of Mary's body, and that in that time God-with-Us allowed God's own self to simply be held by her. What changes or decisions—what new beginnings—are you facing in this season? How do those shifts sit with your soul? What quiet or rest do you need to prepare yourself for God's revelation in your own life? How can you embody God in this moment?

Contact Rachel Wright, Director of Communications, with questions or concerns about these daily Advent devotionals.