Here & Now
An invitation to Pause, Encounter, and Grow together.
Monday, December 11, 2023
Day 9. Light Within.
By MARY PANDIANI
Executive Director,
Selah Center
Holding the dancing and smiling 6-month-old baby girl, the daughter of my nephew-by-marriage (for another story), I revel in her joy-filled, light-illumined face. The wonder and awe of a human being doing nothing for me besides being herself expands my imagination for this Advent season. She radiates with all she is created to be, an infant who holds the light of the One who created her.
As we explore what light is for this season, I remember through this little one that light is within us all, given to us by the giver of all Light as an infant, the body of God. Pondering this Advent that leads us to Christmas, I realize that I have a gift of light within and around me by God’s presence.
God is in us. Just like the little baby I hold, I’m not responsible for making God show up, nor am I to strive towards something outside of myself. The invitation is to see that God is within. William Shannon says, “Awareness of the Presence of God…attentiveness…awakened…being alive…at its deepest level is not so much something we do but something we are.”1 We have been given a gift — a gift of light that is within by the Presence of the Divine. I want my eyes to respond with a heart that opens to the ongoing movement of God. I want to see the world through the lens of the light given by Christ.
May this Christmas inspire wonder and awe for you. Remembering that through a baby, Jesus, we have a light within that shines through as a reflection of the One who brings hope into our world.
1 William Shannon, Silence on Fire: The Prayer of Awareness, New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1991, p. 34.
Psalm 27
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Isaiah 26:7-15
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Acts 2:37-42
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Suggested Spiritual Practices to Help You Engage with Scripture.
Part Four. Lectionary.
Artistic Expression
By WENDY BRYANT
Creative.
Selah Companion
EDITOR’S NOTE: I asked artist and teacher, Wendy Bryant to provide us with how to engage scripture through art. But, artistic expression also includes movement such as dance. —Debora Buerk, Editor.
Integrating artistic expression as a spiritual practice is just that – a practice.
Start Here
- Intentionally choose uninterrupted time to sit still and be present to God. Take several deep breaths and release any tension in your body. Read scripture, listen to sacred music, light a candle, or visualize your breath moving slowly in the stillness.
- Have basic art supplies (pencils, paints, crayons, markers, etc.), paper, camera, or an instrument nearby. Expensive and elaborate tools are not required. Use what is easily available to you.
- The third, and often toughest part, is giving ourselves permission to be “creative.” This involves trusting God’s guiding presence as we randomly splash paint on paper, write a poem of gratitude or praise, write a song, or walk the neighborhood with our camera taking arbitrary photos of whatever intrigues us.
Words of Encouragement
Be patient with yourself, with the process, with life and with God. Let go of wanting it to “look good” (control) and open your heart to receive the gift of creative time with The divine Artist. Enjoy the journey!
Jesus is the center of Christmas! This drawing was originally published in a Christmas series by @editoraultimato, now part of the Art in the Christian Tradition.
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