Advent is a season that speaks softly to me, encouraging me to listen, observe, and reflect in quietness. My daily ritual is to light a candle in the darkness of each Advent morning, read aloud a poem or quotation, then sit quietly.
From November 28-December 24 , I will share a piece of writing that I have collected or written, which resonates with my own spiritual journey at this time of year. I hope that their words may be resources for your Advent practices. If you have Advent rituals and/or writing to add, I encourage you to leave them in the comments section for the rest of us to read.
Peace in this time of waiting and discovery.
Twylla

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Advent of Love

The Advent of Love
©2010 Twylla Alexander

Love came down at Christmas,”
as the old hymn goes.
“Love all lovely, love divine. 
Love was born at Christmas.
Stars and angels gave the sign.”

Where was Love before?

It surely was not absent from the world.
Husbands must have loved wives
and wives their husbands;
Children their mothers and fathers;
Parents their girls and boys.

Was there not love of
          Home
          Faith
        Tradition
          Nature
      Community?

What was so special
about this Love,
prompting stars and angels
to take notice,
glories to be sung and presents given?

This Love understood
the world’s understanding
of love, yet offered more.

She knew her words would be
shouted down, ridiculed,
misunderstood, dismissed,
and labeled
Impossible.

As hers was the Love for the
disabled, diseased, displaced, disfigured,
deemed different from the rest;
For neighbor as for self,
For the enemy.

In her hand, she held the gift of peace
and placed it tenderly
upon the heart of a child,
swaddled in cloth.

And upon the heart of
each child born
from that day forward.

“Love shall be our token,”
 as the old hymn ends.
“Love shall be yours and love be mine.
Love to God and to alll men.
Love for plea and gift and sign.”

"Love Came Down at Christmas,"  Christina Rossetti, 1885

                              Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh - public domain image

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