24, 29; 8, 84
Gen. 3:15-18 Rev. 12:1-10 John 3:16-21
Advent is a cyclical moment of religious invitation into creative time.
The psalms in our reading today poignantly invite awareness that God’s narrative does not include us as the center of God’s actions. The cosmos is God’s and all who dwell within it, sings the psalmist. God’s cosmos which begins before our arrival in the Garden continues after our exit.
The story of wisdom, snake, birth, and toil is one that is often seen myopically as punishment. Instead, the breadth of God’s narrative invites us to look beyond our sin (the abuse of God’s hospitality in the Garden) to discover our interrelated contiguous role in creation.
We live within a different world view seeing the spaces we occupy, the environment surrounding us, as an observable object(s). We objectify and commodify our surroundings without reflection. We upend God’s narrative. One result is we miss the importance of the incarnation, Christ as a revelation of embodiment made from the very atoms found in the dust under our feet. Incarnation begins with creation.
Like the tree in the garden, this planet, and creation, is not ours and does not exist for our benefit – but for God’s. We are at once invited to realize our place within God’s cosmos and to take part and tend and serve the Garden of God’s making.
O God, the cosmos and those who dwell in it are yours. Lift our eyes to open the gates of our hearts to receive you. Amen.
4 Responses
We are the Jesus Movement and walk in The Way of Love in Loving, Liberating and Life Giving relationships with God, our neighbors and with all of creation.
We live this all out in mission; Evangelism- Creation Care – Reconciliation.
Bishop Doyle has proclaimed the the spiritual center and heart of creation care in this Advent reflection. Thank you Bishop Doyle
“This ONE, who is from David, and before David, this WORD OF GOD . . . by his Holy Spirit tunes the cosmos.”
~~ Clement of Alexandria
“Christ as a revelation of embodiment made from the very atoms found in the dust under our feet . . .”
Thank you, Bishop Doyle.
Inspiring thoughts to continue walking the paths of Christ
Wonderful. Thank you.
Truly inspiring words! May God bless us as we continue to tend and serve this Garden.