Majesty, warning, unseen grace

 Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
so longs my soul for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1

On our late afternoon walk, we watch as a majestic hawk alights near us, and then takes flight again. A few feet further on, we hear the anxious call of a squirrel and then see her, rigid on a tree branch, sounding a warning because of the hawk. And I know that, unseen, the deer are nearby too, their graceful movements hidden within the brown upon brown winter landscape.

Advent is all these creatures: majesty, warning, unseen grace. And I wonder, are they waiting also? Do they share my sense of longing for God to break into creation? Do they yearn to be overcome with joy? Do they thirst for all to be right with the world?

These creatures and I are inextricably tied to one another. They are not only along my path, they are on the journey with me to the manger. With all of God’s creation, we await the cry of a newborn to once again shatter our world and make all things new.

Image credit: anthonysr1955 / 123RF Stock Photo