Possibly the deepest (for me) reflection sdo far...

Today we turn to the prologue of the fourth gospel, with a focus on the idea tha we are adopted as children of God, and so become, in some small measure divine.

Maybe that's a concept you have fully grasped forever, but I haven't.  Yes, I believe that I am (and we are) made in the image and likeness of God. Yes, I believe, if I don't know what it, means, that we are somehow 'clothed in Christ'.  Yes, I believe that I am a 'child of God', at least by adoption (though also in some sense by ontology).  It had just never struck me that all those things mean, in some small way, I am, therefore, 'God': to be 'of God' is some sense to 'be God'.

I cannot recall which ancient theologian spoke of the 'divine spark' in every human being but I suppose that's what's being hinted at here. I guess, too, it's something of what we mean if/when we speak of Christ being 'born in our hearts' or even 'accepting Jesus into our lives'.  Somehow, I know not how, the divine enters us and transforms us from within.

If this is a valid understanding of what the writer (of the gospel or the Celtic Advent book) then we have incarnation not only in a particular person in a particular place and time, but, potentially at least, in every person in every place and time.

I've always felt very content to be God's 'adopted daughter', to be part of the fmaily but without sharing the 'DNA.' I've always been comforted by the idea that in every human being we glimpse something of the likeness of God, but that doesn't make us mini gods. Now I am challenged to ponder what it might mean if God actually lives in me in some kind of ontological way... that the 'body of Christ' language is not simply metaphor but an actual reality.

I wish I had a brain capable of processing such ideas, but I never did (I always clai that smiling at my philosophy of religion tutor and having a good grasp of English grammar got me through the course!).  Instead, I will allow myself to be awestruck by the idea that 'the WORD became flesh and dwells within us' (even if the Greek may not permit that rendering) .

The prayer from the book:

Christ, you stepped out of transcnedent glory and took on human form so that I might transcend my humanity and be clothed in the divine nature.  Help me to see this and to walk this path of becoming more and more like you s you transform me from one degree of glory to the next. Amen.

OK, so this photo was not actually taken during my walk today, but it was pretty central to it, as I had to call in the opticians to collect new glasses.

For the first time ever I chose a pair of so-called 'designer' frames as well as one from the optician's own selection.  I was equally bemused and amused when they were brought out, one pair in a very blingy case and the other in a bog-standard Specsavers case. Amused because the price difference between the two was small, at least relative to the total bill; bemused because, at the end of the day both pairs do the exact same job. Why does one need a blingy case and the other not?

Somewhere in all of this is something about Advent and Christmas and the tendency to dress up in bling and glitter that which actually arrived with no fancy packaging whatsoever.

Part of me is secretly chuffed about the bling glasses case - just as part of me enjoys the sparkle and glister of the Christmas festivities.

Part of me thinks the bling glasses case is just daft - just as part of me wonders if the parties and decorations are all a bit over the top.

In the end, though, does it matter and why not have a bit of each... I can enjoy the golden glasses case and my blingy 'Kylie Minogue' glasses (!) and I can enjoy the frivolity of the fun festivities...  I have my plain blue glasses case and will also enjoy my turquoise edged 'Victoria' glasses, just as I will enjoy reflecting on the God who arrived as a plainly wrapped baby laid to rest in a feed trough.

Both/and then, not either/or... Advent seems to be throwing up a lot of 'creative tensions' this year.

Social media threw up this photo for two years ago, when we closed our premises for redevelopment.  As I 'shared' it again, this is what I wrote:

After a few days that haven't inspired me that much, today it's the story of the Magi and some 'new learning' for me.

Seemingly, according to the Talmud, the term 'Magi' was used for Zoroastrioanists, a faith/worldview I know little about and about which good old wikipedia is quite helpful (here).  It seems that the ancient Celtic Christians used the same term for Druids (here).  The idea, then, that God somehow draws those of other faiths, other cultures, other worldviews to the Christ - and that they then return by 'another way' to the places from which they came.

There is nothing to suggest that the Magi became proselyte Jews, and Christianity hadn't yet been invented.  They simply returned home, bypassing Herod, and somehow changed by their encounter.  People of other faiths sometimes tell me they are attrcted by Jesus, if not be his followers.

Many Christian traditions, at least in western Europe, owe their origins to Celtic, Druidic and Germanic practices, whether it's Christmas trees, yule logs, bonfires or candles. Whether this is syncretism or enculturation is probably a moot point.  But, in symbol at least, wise people of all faiths, and probably of none, are drawn into the wonder of the God-child.

Today's prayer:

I thank you that you are an unlimited God, a God who is not bound by the limitations of human understanding.  You are a God who loves and works in all life, whether or not they acknowledge you and who you are. May I be willing to see and hear you, knowing your voice, wherever it comes from and whomever you choose to speak through. Amen. 

High road or low road? Park or pavement?  Which would you choose?

This small park lies very close to my home.  It's a park I walked round during times of post surgery recovery, and, longer ago, when 'chemo-flop' meant my daily walk was a few minutes round the block.  It is a park where, not long after I moved to Glasgow, a young woman was murdered.  It is a park where children play, dogs are exercised and  people take short (or long) cuts en route to other places.

The Advent journeys we walk are always our own, there is no 'one size fits all.'  Even if we all chose the same path, our experiences of it would be informed by our own stories.

I quite like walking through this park - so long as it is light.  Once it is dark it feels menacing, probably (relatively recent) because I know part of its history.  Maybe Advent is a bit like that too - even if metaphorically.  Even the familiar route can feel very different if life is 'light' or 'dark' in feel.

However Advent feels for you this year, I hope that your journey is more light than dark, and that you arrive safely at its end in just a month's time.