Mystery 120409

H2o devos sj 120409 Mystery
+John of Damascus+ 749

“haven’t made sense of the mystery
but it makes sense of me”
Still In One Peace by Peter Mayer



I take Thursdays as my “day off.” So, it was spent doing some Sabbath (i.e. self-care) reflection, prayer, hanging out with some buddies and exercise. Sue Ann and I also had a great lunch with our son Noah. I even learned how to restore my itunes library which mysteriously disappeared into thin air.

Winter has come to Denver. It is very cold outside. At the health club on Thursday I had a conversation with a man (don’t know his name) but he brought up homeless people. I told him that I had read the folks at the Denver Rescue Mission housed over 300 men last night. We talked about individual responsibility, as we well as individual, corporate and social response to the needs of people in our society. Our conversation was like a sermon, a prayer, a confession and litany all rolled into one.

December 4th is a day set aside to honor John of Damascus. I doubt if there will be any John of Damascus parades or parties held today. I don’t imagine that I’ll be receiving any John of Damascus cards. Nor with the stores have fliers in the newspapers regarding John of Damascus sales. Way back in his day there was a big controversy over the use of icons. Like most things in the realm of spirituality there are those “holy things” that can be misused and abused. So, the rulers of the day, as I understand it outlawed the use of icons. John of Damascus wrote in support of icons. He was able to do so because he lived in a Muslim country (and consequently was outside the legal scope of the authorities.)

Check out what he wrote in a piece called On Holy Images, “We see images in creation which remind us faintly of God, as when, for instance, we speak of the holy and adorable Trinity, imaged by the sun, or light, or burning rays, or by a running fountain, or a full river, or by the mind, speech, or the spirit within us, or by a rose tree, or a sprouting flower, or a sweet fragrance.”

As Peter sings, “haven’t made sense of the mystery, but it makes sense of me.”

A wonderful tool or delivery system that helps with mystery during the season of Advent is the Advent wreath. It is wireless. It is GREEN. I simply love thinking and praying about the coming of the Lord. It is the Lord who comes to us in the most unlikely of settings, experiences and even people.
I invite you to light one candle. Pray for warmth, illumination and guidance.

Sing Joy,
Rtg
Ps Tonight our choir presents Handel’s THE MESSIAH. Talking about joy being sung and heard!