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| Image by Andrea Schaffer |
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A GREETING
Hear my prayer, O God, and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears. For I am your passing guest.
(Psalm 39:12)
A READING
God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.
(Genesis 1:29-30)
A NATURE SOUNDSCAPE
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches.
(John 15:4)
A PRAYER
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
- Adaptation for meditative prayer of Psalm 46:10
by Richard Rohr
VERSE OF THE DAY
For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew.
(Zechariah 8:12)
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| Northern River by Tom Thomson (1914-15) |
We all have our own image of what the garden of Eden looks like; but it is hard for us to fully comprehend all that God originally created. Genesis 1 describes the making of plants and wildlife and sea creatures before it describes the creation of humankind. Therefore, it is possible to consider that everything, not only humankind, has been made in God's image and that God’s creativity is an expression of God’s hospitality to us. In today’s meditative verse, the image of the ‘vine’ that Jesus offers the disciples in John 15 is a metaphor for God’s people. It is an invitation to abide with him in the promise that with God we can all bear fruit. It sounds great, but in these challenging days, it is possible that we are feeling far from fruitful. Our energy has been spent getting used to doing things differently. Though we hope and believe that we abide with Jesus, we may feel as if our own branches and tendrils have dried up and become brown and withered. In the painting above by Tom Thomson, a first impression might be that these trees have lost their glory. On close examination (you can click on the image), the complex interweaving of color shows us how very much alive the vines and branches are. It is a late autumn scene, when the abundance of coloured leaves have mostly fallen to the ground and nature is preparing for a winter sabbath hibernation. When we start into Advent, we too feel withered and dry. As we draw closer to the life-giving energy of the nativity story, our spirit starts to reseed itself with the colours of new life. Advent is our sabbath rest time of the spirit, in preparation and waiting. When we are able to be still and listen for God, we are more likely to renew our own creative light. In order to find that space, we have to push out all that clutters us. We have to make room for the beauty of Creation that lives within us. Then, we can begin to see how we are all a part of the true vine that flows out of the stump of Jesse, through Jesus and into the world. As you watch and listen to today’s soundscape, imagine that God is welcoming you to the table that has been laid for you in Creation. How does your spirit respond to this feast? What can you do to nourish your relationship with nature today?
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| Image by Jason Morrison |
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LC† Longing for Renewal is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Join us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year.
Thanks and peace be with you!
