Advent 1

"A Sky full of God's children"  "It takes one Earth day, one Earth night, to make a full turn, part of the intricate pattern of the universe. And God called it good, very good." "A sky full of God's children! Each galaxy, each star, each living creature, every particle and sub-atomic particle of creation, we are all children of the maker."  Madeleine L'Engle, Years ago I remember moving into a little house at the end of a dirt road. It was a time  of emotional wilderness for our family.  Life as we knew it was beginning to look differently, the path in front of us all seemed only dimly lit.  Prayer was a constant support during this time. I was in seminary and the ground beneath all of us was shifting. The financial concerns, the well being of those I loved and the  fabric of the family I held so dear was being torn, slowly ripping, apart. If one was to look closely at the fabric, I"m sure tear stains were everywhere. This little house at the end of a dirt road became a safe and treasured place for a while. One of the first evenings that I lived there, I remember going out into the yard, sitting in one of our hand made  adirondack chairs, and looking up. The sky was so clear, the stars were everywhere. There were no street lamps to dull the fullness of this sight. "The sky was full of Gods' children." When I look back at this time, I remember the pain and loss. The grief comes back to my stomach even as I type. But significant to that time was the birthing of a new sense of God's blessing in my life. God was calling me to a new way of being, a vocation that reflected how God could best use me in the world.   Fear of change, fear of how others' lives will be impacted by decisions we make, can all cause us to want to close our eyes, to look away from things in our lives.  Many times God calls us in ways that come in the midst of chaos or can feel like upheaval at the time.  Looking back we can see and know that all things are being made new.  But at the time, faith, hope and prayer are the tenants that keep us going.   There was something about remembering those stars, remembering that with God's love and guidance it was the only path I could take. We are all God's beloved children, we are all special beyond measure. But with that comes a responsibility. God calls us to health, to be able to live in the light of growth and possibility.  We are not  a people that can breath in the shadow of disease and poverty. The very life within us can be suffocated if we allow fear to overcome our faith.   "Incarnation: It is love, God's limitless love enfleshing that love into the form of a human being, Jesus, the Christ, fully human and fully divine." "Christ came to us as Jesus of Nazareth, wholly human and wholly divine, to show us what it means to be made in God's image."  Madeleine L'Engle  Gracious God, Thank you for the stars of the night, and the light in our lives. Thank you for the memory of the journey. That tear stained fabric continues to be the tapestry that  keeps us warm. Gracious God, Help us today to take a deep breath. Help us to know that we live as one of your beloved children today. Help us to thrive in our lives of abundance and health. As I walk Riley this evening, I look up and see the stars shining over the lake.  The clear, cold air feels very good.  This chapter of my life is so very different.  As I look at the stars above  my faith in the incarnate Christ is affirmed.  As I look at the stars the wonder of God's ever-present love causes me to pause in Awe.   "The sky was full of God's Children"  Let us all remember this season of hope and preparation that we too, are God's beloved children, we too are one of those sparks of light in the midst of the darkness.   Waiting expectantly,  Rev. Sue Poulin