Leaning into the season of Advent with fully human, fully divine

It's the first Sunday of Advent and I have chosen to use the devotional fully human, fully divine by Whitney R. Simpson this year as my advent guide. 

I couldn't have made a better choice for where I am this year.

I used the Advent Poem for Bamboo Encounter yesterday and just in the preparation time, it spoke to me. Based on the poem, I decided to offer the spiritual practice of breath prayer at Bamboo Encounter and the breath prayer that came to me as an example from the poem.

(Bamboo Encounter is a once a month outdoor worship service that meets outside in creation as we listen to the Creator. You can click on the link above in the first mention of it to learn more.)

Here is the Advent Poem that Whitney wrote. It's in the beginning of her book:

We wait.
We notice.
We sense.
We remember.
We anticipate.
With our whole selves, we seek hope, peace, joy, and love.
They are within our reach, yet we often rush past
         and miss them.
Will we choose to slow down and embody these gifts,
         like the wise ones?
Yes. Indeed! We are wise ones.
Help us get ready; open us up, Lord.
Give us the willingness to pause and prepare to receive
         your gift this season.
Let us embody what we discover as we await the divine.
Let us savor your hope, peace, joy, and love
         more fully this season.

Here is the breath prayer that came out of the poem for me and what I shared yesterday at Bamboo Encounter:

A breath prayer is a short prayer that fits in with your breathing in and breathing out. It can be something that captured your attention from your readings or anything on your heart/mind/soul. You can use a name that you most identify with in the moment, whether that is Creator, Great Spirit, God, Divine Mystery, etc.

If I were to have a breath prayer from today’s readings, it might be this: ‘Open me up Creator to savor all things more fully this season.’  As I breathe in, I pray “Open me up Creator” and as I breathe out I pray “to savor all things more fully this season.” 

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I was able to jump into the book last night, reading the introduction, preparing for Christmas, embodiment as Presence, and contemplative practices to explore. I still have two more short chapters to go before I begin Advent 1 readings on "Slow Down and Hope".

I mentioned that I couldn't have made a better choice for a devotional this year for where I am. Though I cannot fully explain that remark, I think it has to do with how the first pages have resonated with my heart, mind, and soul. 

From the quotes at the beginning of each chapter (so far-- Howard Thurman, Charlie Brown, Thomas Merton, Claudia Mair Burney) to the content, I have felt the expansion in me as I "drank" from these waters. 

My senses are engaged from the very beginning as Whitney offers in the introduction insight into how we can feel, see, smell, taste, and hear Christmas coming. Words such as "savor" resonate deeply, likely because of the spiritual direction program I've been in these past two years and how I'm learning to savor things and invite others to savor as well. 

Hearing the coming of Christmas in the 'stillness of the earth' resonated within me as Whitney wrote: "If you take a step outside in the middle of that dark night and simply pause, you'll hear it in the silence, the anticipation, the waiting, the feeling like the entire earth is taking a deep breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling, standing on the edge of whatever comes next. It reminds you to listen." (10)

Whitney brings herself, her gifts and graces, and her experiences to this devotional. Though it has been years since I have seen Whitney in person (we met at a SoulFEAST at Lake Junaluska one year), I have kept in touch with her and followed her because she offers much to the world. I'm glad I have kept up with her so that I learned about this Advent devotional.

As I journey into Advent this year, practicing breath prayer, mindfulness, lectio divina, visio divina, meditation, contemplation, and presence, I hope to share what I learn and experience along the way.

If you haven't decided on an Advent devotional yet or if you have space for another one, I invite you to check out this one by Whitney. There's even a Wednesday online component from The Upper Room that you can join. I don't know if my schedule will allow me to do that yet or not. I haven't checked out my calendar yet for that.

Here's to savoring these next four weeks, to opening up to all that Creator has to offer, as I (hopefully) listen attentively and turn my attention and focus toward hopeful expectation to the One who is coming.

Peace on your Advent journey, 

Rev. Deb