The idea of the Divine, "coming down" from some pristine heavenly world up there somewhere no longer holds credence. Continuing to announce such an image simply reinforces in people an outmoded and disconnected sense of relatedness to the Divine.
We forget that conception in a womb is what images the unfolding of Divine presence in humanity. Nothing is more inward than that. The Divine expresses itself, not from above, but from within the heart of humanity, like a seed holding within itself the essence of the unfolding flower.
The Divine does not come down and visit our souls with "Thine own ardour glowing." The Divine is permanently there seeking with ardour to express itself through the portals of our humanity. That is what Advent is about - God who is already within seeking expression through.
St Paul reminds us that we live, move and have our being in the Divine. It is an imbedded inner reality waiting to be birthed in to the world through each of us.
We forget that conception in a womb is what images the unfolding of Divine presence in humanity. Nothing is more inward than that. The Divine expresses itself, not from above, but from within the heart of humanity, like a seed holding within itself the essence of the unfolding flower.The Divine does not come down and visit our souls with "Thine own ardour glowing." The Divine is permanently there seeking with ardour to express itself through the portals of our humanity. That is what Advent is about - God who is already within seeking expression through.
St Paul reminds us that we live, move and have our being in the Divine. It is an imbedded inner reality waiting to be birthed in to the world through each of us.
...Excellent post...excellent point
ReplyDeleteLovely Don,
ReplyDeleteI resonate with the interiority of it.
We really haven't understood that the enfleshment of God happens in Eden, Bethlehem and wherever we are in the precious present.
Thank you
The Listening Hermit
Thank you both for your comments. Sorry I was late in publishing them, but I've just got back from Germany.
ReplyDelete