We sit with great expectations in this season—usually driven more by insistence from the media than by us fully reverencing the manger. Rarely are they met. More often than not, we emerge out the other side of Advent as a weary wreck. Maybe there’s a way to do things differently?
As I rested upstairs, had a needful break to recharge this afternoon, breathed out slow and sat with the Lord for a while, these poetic thoughts emerged…
Advent invites us…
Advent invites us to savour the now, ever-present sense of God’s presence in this world, invisible yet still tangible somehow.
It reminds us of the manger being but a step to the cross, a way of remembering all that Jesus bought for us at such a great cost.
We’re invited to linger and marvel at Love come down. We’re welcomed to a stable, a baby fit for a shiny Royal crown.
Here, in swaddling clothes, manger-wrapped and ready for us to receive Him is a Gift to accept and unwrap the promises hidden deep within.
And the Advent now also suggests tension and stress, cards to write and send, folk to invite, parcelling of presents, our own gifts to share with family and friends.
There’s a drive to have the right kind of offering, forgetting how our love and our presence are always the best thing.
In all the rush and hurry, haste and paste, decorating and baking, we can lose sight of that starry night in Bethlehem. We can neglect to make space in the here and now for the One who this celebration is really about.
I’m guilty as charged, knowing I need to heed those soft whispers nudging my spirit more than before, because I’m in danger of forgetting my Saviour in the drive to do one thing more before collapsing with fatigue.
But when we stop, take a breath, a sacred pause? Why, we find God is here, in the moment, of course. Always patiently waiting for our attention, He reaches out across time and eternity to welcome us into the Now of His glorious presence.
There is peace here. There is calm. There is deep soul rest. We receive not only what’s better but what is best. We can ignore the clamour, the hassle, the shout, become replenished, renewed from the inside out.
Here is a whisper, a breath, an eternal song being sung, a melody being heard and received, a lullaby for our restless souls. And here we belong. No pressure, no pleading, just a realisation that this is what we truly need now—during Advent, Christmas and beyond.
©joylenton2016
I thought I was too tired to think straight, never mind write today, however God whispered these thoughts which enabled me to join in with this week’s five-minute-friday prompt of ‘Now’. Come meet the writing crew gathering at Kate Motaung’s site, and check out the great posts being shared. Just click here to follow me there.
Poetry Joy 
“There’s a drive to have the right kind of offering, forgetting how our love and our presence are always the best thing.” I needed to hear that! Thank you so much for writing today! Well done. (FMF #74)
Hi Tanya, it’s lovely to meet you! I’m so glad you found a takeaway in my words. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet encouragement! Have a blessed day, friend. 🙂 x
“There is peace here. There is calm. There is deep soul rest. We receive not only what’s better but what is best. We can ignore the clamour, the hassle, the shout, become replenished, renewed from the inside out.” How comforting this is! Why it takes me so long sometimes to stop and rest in His Presence i’ll never know. I’m always so glad when I do, because my spirit is refreshed and I am at peace.
Blessings to you, sweet Joy! Hugs! xo
Oh Gayl, my dear sister-friend, your words echo my own thoughts: “Why it takes me so long sometimes to stop and rest in His Presence i’ll never know. I’m always so glad when I do, because my spirit is refreshed and I am at peace.” Yes, indeed, me too! May you be able to hear and heed the call to come aside for a while, and may you be deeply blessed and refreshed in doing so. Blessings and hugs! xo
Dear Joy, I am so thankful that God stirred in your heart and gave you strength to share. These words were so needed by me today. Even though my life is moving at a much slower pace now, I find myself taking up a different kind of stress–finding myself just as you say, “in danger of forgetting my Saviour in the drive to do one thing more before collapsing with fatigue.” How beautiful that He came to meet us here, in THIS now, with the gift of Himself. How I want to be “become replenished, renewed from the inside out.” And, I think that He meets us in these different seasons, to find Him renewing us in a different way also. There is a fresh way of learning what His Presence brings to us here, that is different than what we needed yesterday. Thank you so much for sharing the gift of your words, my dear friend! May you be blessed this Christmas Season with new beauty! Hugs! xoxo
Dear Bettie, I am so thankful for your faithful presence here and the beauty you bring with you in the thoughts that you share. These tugged at my own heart: “How beautiful that He came to meet us here, in THIS now, with the gift of Himself.” During the last few years of increasing incapacity and a necessary coming aside from busy, it’s only slowly dawned on me that the Gift of God’s presence is a continual now thing, not a once in a lifetime offering. The more our eyes are opened to wonder, the more we seek Him in the quiet spaces of our day, the more we will find Him waiting lovingly for us, with infinite patience and great compassion. It’s a mind-blowing thought, isn’t it?
And I also love what you say here: “He meets us in these different seasons, to find Him renewing us in a different way also. There is a fresh way of learning what His Presence brings to us here, that is different than what we needed yesterday.” Amen, my friend! May He meet with you in a special way during these challenging days as your husband recovers from surgery. May God bless you both abundantly! xoxo
THIS: “Here is a whisper, a breath, an eternal song being sung, a melody being heard and received, a lullaby for our restless souls. And here we belong. No pressure, no pleading, just a realisation that this is what we truly need now—during Advent, Christmas and beyond.” I’m in the 60 spot this week.
Tara, I found your post very moving, full of yearning and ultimately hopeful. It was a JOY to read it! Bless you for being here, sweet friend. xo
Joy this is terrific. I never thought of Advent as an invitation…but you’ve opened my mind, eyes, and heart. Thank you for this.
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/12/your-dying-spouse-246-defiance-despair.html
Andrew, it’s lovely when God opens our eyes and heart to see familiar things in a new light, isn’t it? I’m grateful for these words coming unexpectedly and giving me renewed insight as well! So blessed you stopped by, my friend, and more than moved by your own wonderful, inspiring post. xo