"O come let us adore Him"

Silence is the best response to Mystery. -Kathleen Norris

Dear Friends in Christ -

Christmas songs have started to play on the radio. Mostly, it seems that the ones they're playing now are the secular ones - "Jingle Bells" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - but the song that keeps popping into my head is "O Come All Ye Faithful."

It's actually the chorus of that song that's echoing in my ears "O come let us adore Him . . ." Those words give me pause because I'm not sure that I know how to "adore Him." I know how to go shopping and buy Christmas presents. I know how to give food to the food bank. I know how to have friends and family over for dinner. But I'm not so good at adoring.

Perhaps that's because there's not a whole lot of silence and stillness in my life. And when I have a few moments of silence and stillness, my first thought is often, "O good - now I can get that other thing done that I've been meaning to do."

One of our parishioners brought her new baby into the office this week. And in the middle of the phone calls and the faxes and the email and the other things, the baby's mother and I just leaned over his little carseat cradle and looked at him. So beautiful. So sweet. So peaceful as he slept there.

As I reflected on those tender moments, I realized that what happened there as we gazed at the baby was just a little taste of what true adoration must be like. Time seemed to expand, and my whole self suddenly seemed more open and joyful.

For you - and for me - I pray for more moments of adoration. Time in front of the fire. Time sipping a cup of tea. Time looking at the lights on the Christmas tree. Time walking in the woods. Time seeing something beautiful. Time to wonder. Time to adore.

Faithfully,
Janet+