Advent Meditations: Wednesday 12 December
| Wed Dec 12 |
am: 38 pm: 119:25-48 |
Isa 6:1-13 | 2 Thes 1:1-12 | John 7:53-8:11 |
ON THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR Feast of Spyridon, Eastern Father of the Church, 4th Century
Bishop of Trimythus, and thus he became also a shepherd of rational sheep. When the First Ecumenical Council was assembled in Nicaea, he also was present, and by means of his most simple words stopped the mouths of the Arians who were wise in their own conceit. By the divine grace which dwelt in him, he wrought such great wonders that he received the surname ‘Wonderworker.” So it is that, having tended his flock piously and in a manner pleasing to God, he reposed in the Lord about the year 350,
MEDITATION: The Old Testament today from the Daily Office is commonly known as The Commissioning of Isaiah, which sounds grand and appropriate given his ministry but when one reads the lesson, it is not anything grand , it is daunting and stunning as the Prophet himself thrust into God’s throne room to speak face-to-face with God. This is no small task. His response to this situation is utter humility…”Woe is me for I am a sinful man”. Humility is critical to a real encounter with the living God and Isaiah reminds us of that in this lesson. Part of the Advent journey is that the time it takes for most of us to get to a humble place in our spirit. If we fail to do so, we will fail to meet Christ as he can only be met in simplicity and humility. To be humble requires of us a different spirit. It requires of us to urn the secular Christmas tree upside down and when we do we should sing Holy, Holy, Holy as they did in verses 3 and 4. The word holy is a word that comes from a Hebrew word “kamash” which means to be separated or to be separate. In other words, to live in the holiness and humility of God means have the courage to be separated from the pack, to go against the herd. What would that look like for you in your Advent and Christmas preparations? To truly humbly seek God and cry out Holy to be one set apart for his purposes?
PRAYER: Almighty God… without whose grace all wisdom is folly, grant, I beseech Thee, that in this my undertaking thy Holy Spirit may not be withheld from me, but that I may promote thy glory, and the Salvation both of myself and others.(by Samuel Johnson)
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE/ACTIVITY – Today, seek to serve the needs of another person, with utter humility. It should be someone that perhaps you have thought less of and better of yourself in comparison. Ideally, this act of humble service should be done without that person’s knowledge. Ponder how this has changed you and that person.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “Kindness is in our power even when fondness is not”. Samuel Johnson.
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