Advent - A Time of Stillness, Contemplation, and Creativity

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For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

ADVENT - A TIME OF STILLNESS

December has begun and with it the season of Advent, a time of waiting expectantly. Advent calls us to take time for stillness to contemplate the birth of Jesus and what it means for us. It is also a time to look forward to Jesus' return.  Make no mistake - He will return, though we don't know when.

After the prophecies of His first coming, centuries went by before the angel appeared to Mary, announcing that she would be the one to bear the Messiah. I'm sure people had grown tired of waiting. Many people probably forgot about the promise of a Messiah.

When He did come, He was not recognized. The religious leaders were against Him and sought to kill Him. They even incited the crowd to ask Pilate to release Barabbas, a known murderer, instead of Jesus, who had done no wrong. What the religious elite didn't realize was that they had no power except what God had given them. They did not kill Jesus, He gave His life on that cross to be our substitute. This was planned long before the beginning of time.

Our God is triune - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - God in three persons as the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy reminds us. Jesus was present at the beginning as the second Person of that Trinity. He left His glory in heaven to be born as a human baby to identify with us so that He could take our punishment and give us eternal life. He was fully God and fully man - the miracle of the incarnation. This is a mystery to us, beyond our understanding, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. 


CONTEMPLATING THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION

Michael Card has a song - To the Mystery - which is all about the incarnation. I encourage you to go listen to the whole song, which is one of my favorites. Here's a stanza:

"No fiction as fantastic and wild
A mother made by her own child
The hopeless babe who cried
Was God Incarnate and man deified."

Another song - Mary, Did You Know? brings out the fact that Jesus is God,  the "great I AM." At first, I didn't care for the song because I thought to myself - Of course, Mary knew! How could she sing the beautiful words recorded for us in Luke 1:46-55 if she didn't know? Here is an excerpt:

And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, because he has looked with favor
on the humble condition of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,
because the Mighty One
has done great things for me,
and his name is holy.
Luke 1:46-49

When beautiful music is combined with the truth of God's Word, it is a powerful combination that stirs emotions and inspires praise to God. That happened to me when I heard Pentatonix sing Mary, Did You Know? The whole arrangement is beautiful, but I get chills every time I hear this line:

"This sleeping child you're holding Is the Great I Am."

Because of their version, I now love the song. I still think Mary knew, but the words of the song remind me who Jesus really is. He is our faithful Savior and Lord who will accomplish all He has planned.



CREATIVITY AND CONTEMPLATION

During this Advent season, I've been taking time for creativity with my art journal. Some samples are interspersed in this post. As I arrange magazine cutouts, parts of Christmas cards, washi tape, and more, I think about Jesus:

who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,  he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—even to death on a cross.
For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 1:6-11




I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas season. Maybe you can even do a little art journaling as you take time for stillness to contemplate our Savior and the hope we have in Him. 





Stillness is my #oneword2024. The past few months were busy, and I didn't think of stillness that often. In this Advent season, I've decided to make time for stillness and contemplation along with creativity. 

I'm linking up with: #oneword2024 ,  #Let'sHaveCoffee,  and #TellHisStory

Comments

  1. Bettie GDecember 8, 2024 at 9:49 PM

    Thank you for sharing your creative moments of still ess this Advent Season, dear Gayl. You inspire me to pause and dwell with Christ in creativity also. It's so amazing how the Lord reveals previous truth to us as we allow His to speak creatively to us too! Merry Christmas love to you dear sister!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 8, 2024 at 9:50 PM

      *precious truth, not previous! 😂

      Delete
    2. Gayl WrightDecember 18, 2024 at 4:49 PM

      Thank you so much, dear Bettie! You also inspire me and creativity is so important, isn't it? Merry Christmas to you and yours, dear sister/poet/artist/friend! <3 Love you!

      Delete
  2. Joanne ViolaDecember 10, 2024 at 10:29 AM

    Gayl, it is amazing to me how each Advent season can bring new focus, fresh revelation, and renewed anticipation of Jesus' birth but also His return. Wonderful post. May you and your family have a blessed Advent season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gayl WrightDecember 18, 2024 at 4:51 PM

      Thank you, Joanne! Yes, when we approach Advent with expectation, it does bring new and fresh focus and revelation! Thinking of His return brings so much hope! Blessings to you, my friend! xo

      Delete
  3. Lisa notes...December 18, 2024 at 9:09 PM

    I agree: I also think that Mary knew. :) Advent is such a perfect time for stillness. Thanks for this reminder and for linking up with us, Gayl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gayl WrightDecember 21, 2024 at 3:46 PM

      Thank you, Lisa! It is a perfect time for stillness, but I'm still having trouble actually taking the time to be still. I try to intentionally remind myself daily to relax and rest a few minutes. :) Blessings to you! xo

      Delete

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