Slowly and silently

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

This God is our God for ever and ever,

and shall be our guide for evermore.

Psalm 48:13

I hear the hum of the washer and I see the fallen leaves from a house plant that need to be swept up and my list of things on today’s calendar runs through my head. Where is the sacred in all of this?

We have hurtled past the third Sunday of Advent and suddenly I am afraid I have missed the opportunity to envelope myself fully in this season. I want to surround my heart with expectant hope. I yearn for long stretches of contemplation on the miracle to come. I wish to slow down and savor the unfolding mystery of the incarnation that was and is and is about to be.

Just out of my sight, I know one of the houseplants is about to bloom. As it leans towards the window, its tiny buds stretch toward the winter sun, eager to soak up its energy. And there, I realize, is expectancy and hope. Slowly and silently this creation of God’s has been steadily divulging the ongoing mystery of new life.

God is here, always. And God guides me, scatters my daily path with direction and encouragement. The holy invitation to enter deeply into this Advent never expires.