The Art of Spiritual Practice

“Still me until I hear your heartbeat, quiet me until I feel your breathing, make me one with your rhythms, move me to the cadence of your love.” Jan Richardson, Night Visions, p. 53)f

We reach the end of the countercultural Advent season. I have written of waiting and breathing and being and trusting. And “being honest about the darkness.” (Night Visions,viii.)  “Finally,” you might be saying silently. Waiting in darkness is not as easy as all the Christmas parties and shows, all the bright lights and all the excited expectations of gifts and reunions with loved ones. The spiritual practices of surrendering to the darkness and not rejecting it takes trust and faith. But I hope we do not let the world culture eventually drive Advent into obscurity. May we always be the ones who hold the reason for the season to be preparing for a story of “the Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1.

So I leave you with a spiritual practice for the last few days of Advent: Be still. Even in the midst of final days of shopping and wrapping and baking and cooking and traveling to be with loved ones—especially now—Be still. Find an inner stillness that doesn’t waver. As quiet as deep night. Find rest there. Find a reset there. Let your heart be prepared for good news and something new, never seen before in your life on the horizon. May your Advent indeed be a coming closer to Christ in the stillness.

Pastor Marcia Wakeland is a retired ELCA pastor, a spiritual director and a listening advocate. She is interested in the actual experience of having faith and how that is lived out. She can be reached at mwakeland@gmail.com for comments or more questions Her ongoing blog of living out spiritual practices is listeninglife.live