Music for Contemplation: And you will sleep by Philip Biedenbender
The walls of a stable are not worthy of a king.
You come, little one,
borne on the songs of angels,
the echoes of prophets,
and the light of a strange star.
Do not cry, though you must lie
on this rough, unforgiving wood.
You will be wrapped in lengths of linen,
and you will sleep.
Being found in human form,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
yes, the death of the cross.
Though you must lie
on this rough, unforgiving wood,
you will be wrapped in lengths of linen,
and you will sleep.
These walls are not worthy of a king, little one,
but your kingdom is not of this world.
-Laurie Gauger, mother of the composer
Theme and above image comes from Sanctified Art sanctifiedart.org
Remembering the Gathering
By Colter Murphy
On Sunday, December 1st, Confluence gathered as a community. The focus of our gathering was the birth narrative of Jesus from Luke. We began our gathering with gratitude, for each other, for the fading light of this season, for the bowl of water we gathered around. As we began, we named the lenses through which we are seeing the classic Christmas story this year, the things affecting how we take it in. Then, we were invited to listen to the story from Luke, free to allow nostalgic memories and new ideas mix as we noticed them arising. The second time we read through the story, we were invited to place simple figures on a table to visualize the classic “nativity scene.” When were each of our figures brought into the scene as it was read?
Present at the gathering, although held during daylight, was the darkness of these months. Darkness invites us into anticipation, into longing. We notice the way darkness calls us to busy ourselves, and to still ourselves at the same time.
As we listened to the story for a final time, we were invited to take miscellaneous objects and place them into the nativity scene to represent ourselves. Seeing bits of string, a branch, a glue stick added to the scene and hearing the meaning for each person brought the scene closer to home. Could we see ourselves as part of this story? How is the story alive within us today?
We ended our gathering singing “Come Now, O Prince of Peace.” Our hope in this season lies with a baby, born in community, a prince birthed into our midst, not separate from us but closer than we can ever imagine.
Questions to Ponder
What layers or lenses affect the way you are receiving the birth narrative of Jesus this year?
How is God’s presence being revealed to you?
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