Advent Moment “art with meditations”
SILENCE (sit or kneel, light a candle if you wish) Allow yourself to be ‘still’ for a moment, a minute or longer. Open your hands on your lap. Receive this time as rest.
Welcoming
the Advent season of “Coming” “waiting!” S
ome ask, “How do you spend your time leading up to Christmas?”
My reply is always eclectic because the way of entering advent is particular to where I am or rather we are as a family—place, relationally, spiritually, life as it is. Music is our family’s first entering into the season with the tradition of decorating our tree in preparation for advent. This past Monday, our children (8 adults and 2 grandchildren) came over to be together, place wooden beads and ornaments on our family tree, eat cookies and drink tea, and listen to some classical Christmas music with some of the sweetest Charlie Brown mixes in-between. The delight of the season of Christ’s love is the center of gathering and setting the tone, and we hope will lead us all wherever we are into advent to our particular Christmas day.
MUSIC (sing, hum, or move your body gently to the rhythm of the music.)
Listen to: Holy Spirit Come to Us (Taize)
Rest. Allow yourself to be ‘still’ and enter silence for a moment or more. Receive this time as rest. Close your eyes and listen.
Another portion of Advent for our family is slowing down each day for a reading. Each of us has our own choosing of what book or guide we may use (and sometimes together). This year this book made its way to our coffee table “Wounded in Spirit” —a way of unfolding Advent with art and meditations. I’m looking forward to using imagery this year for listening to what God might be saying during this year’s 2023 season. I’m already noticing ‘surprised blessings’ meaning I didn’t have to make a decision, this beautiful book appeared and resonates with where I am this year. Delighted!
Maybe the invitation is for us to let go, and relinquish our choices and let the Spirit show us where we are?
Pause and listen for a moment.
by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, The Flight into Egypt
Detroit Institute of Arts
Something to try with the December 1st opening pages from Wounded in Spirit, may this prayer practice give us a glimpse of an advent moment to lean in and hear from our loving God.
VISIO DIVINA (seeing with the eyes of your heart)
The movement of this prayer uses a visual to help guide and set our minds on prayer thus allowing God to speak into our hearts through the image. Take as long as you can to sit with each portion of the prayer.
(read/see with the eyes): Open your eyes and scan the image. Notice what draws your interest while continuing to scale the whole image.
Close your eyes and rest.
(meditate) Open your eyes and allow your eyes to be led. Focus on one part of the image and silently give it a name.
Close your eyes again, holding that piece of the image in your mind’s eye.
(pray): Open your eyes and look again at the part of the image that caught your eye. Allow it to bring forth a word, image or emotion. What might God be speaking to you in this moment through this image?
Close your eyes and rest.
(contemplation): Open your eyes and gaze at the image. How would you like to respond to God today?
