the Octave of Christmas 2015 December 20: O Clavis David: O Key of David

textile artist Linda Witte Henke http://bit.ly/1kbhzLp

O Clavis David: "O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

If we indeed see God as having the key to our heart, then doesn't that make God our soulmate? Someone who can come and unlock the prison where we keep our self when it's hurting and lonely? where we hide things we only pull out in the darkness of pain? the judgments and the recriminations and the accusations and the fears?

"A soulmate is someone who has keys to fit our locks and locks which fit our keys. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life." - Richard Bach

the Octave of Christmas 2015 December 19: O Radix Jesse: Root of Jesse

textile artist Linda Witte Henke http://bit.ly/1kbhzLp

O Radix Jesse: "O Root of Jesse, O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid."

Isaiah: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of God.”

We spend a good deal of our lives waiting – in line, for family members to get ready for a trip, the bus, on line at the grocery store … waiting for the weekend to come … waiting for someone to come through a cold or an operation … waiting on a vacation … sometimes the waiting is filled with dread and sometimes we joyfully anticipate the happy conclusion of our waiting. The celebration of waiting is what Advent is about. Whether we are conscious of it or not, each of us, at some level, is waiting for God, even while we celebrate the coming of Messiah, especially as we spend time with God during God's daily visitations into our lives.

During this season we are drawn into this spiritual dimension of that continual human cycle of waiting: recognition of want, longing, fulfillment, and the return and deepening of our waiting and desire. This is not a matter of going around in circles, but of moving in a kind of spiral, always more deeply integrated into God's life. God's Spirit fills us with the longing that makes it possible for us to wait more steadily and with more hope for new manifestations of God's presence in our lives. And our Spirit-filled longing helps us live JOYfull-ly trusting that in Christ, God will fulfill the desires of our hearts.

the Octave of Christmas 2015 December 18: O Adonai: HaShem

textile artist Linda Witte Henke http://bit.ly/1kbhzLp

“O Adonai: O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.”

Isaiah had prophesied, “But God shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. God shall strike the ruthless with the rod of God's mouth, and with the breath of God's lips God shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around God's waist, and faithfulness a belt upon God's hips.” (11:4-5); and “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, God will save us.” (33:22). 

With this second antiphon we progress from creation to the familiar story of God manifesting God's self by name to Moses and giving the law to Israel as their way of life. We are also reminded of the Israelites' deliverance from bondage under pharaoh - a foreshadowing of our own redemption from death. The image of God's arm outstretched in power to save God's chosen people also brings to mind the later scene of Jesus with his arms outstretched for us on the cross.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in God so that you may overflow by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

the Octave of Christmas 2015 December 17: O Sapientia: O Wisdom

textile artist Linda Witte Henke http://bit.ly/1kbhzLp

O Sapientia: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.”

// the book of Wisdom: There is in Wisdom a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle. Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty. Wisdom is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of God’s goodness. In every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. Wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.

// Ephesians: God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  God does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, God’s Spirit deeply and gently within us.