Advent waiting is active. It begins with our being open, our saying “yes” just as Mary did. God needs us and we need God. We are God’s hands, arms, feet, and heart here on earth. As German theologian and mystic Meister Eckhart said, “We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.”
For Jesus’ birth to be more than something that happened more than 2,000 years ago, we need to open our hearts and let Christ be born in us. Again and again. Let love and compassion be born in us. Let gratitude and grace be born in us. Let wonder be born in us. Like Mary, we can be receptive to the work of the Spirit in us.
Let this Advent be an adventure. Take time to slow down, to be quiet, to tend to inner stirrings. Open up. Be ready for surprises. Let it all unfold. See what’s waiting to be born.
This message is excerpted from “What wants to be born in you?” by Sonia C. Solomonson in the December 2016 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate John of Damascus, theologian and hymnwriter, c. 749.
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