By Emily Turner

Before you begin, allow yourself to settle into your breath, notice any tensions in your body, no need to change them now, just notice, see what they might have to teach you during this time. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you, to nurture what needs nurturing.

Letter from Nouwen to a friend in December 20, 1980, in Love, Henri: Letters on the Spiritual Life.

I find that hope is hard to define. It is more than wishful thinking and it doesn’t mean we don’t consider the reality. Nouwen discusses this difference from Nouwen in his book Bread for the Journey:

Having hope is many times easier said that done. It can be challenging when we are overwhelmed, struggling with something chronic, or just plain tired. Collectively, it is feeling HOPElessness as we face another COVID variant. 

When I’m struggling to find hope – I find it helpful to remember. To remember a time when God, the Holy One, Divine LOVE, Jesus, whatever your word for God is – when God restored my hope. Remembering what God has done in my story in the past, helps me to remember what God will do in the future. God is faithful to our wholeness, to our journey.

What might God be inviting you to remember today?

One thing I love about Advent is that each week we are invite to meditate on a specific theme. The spiritual practice of Advent makes space for us to savor the Christmas story and to prepare space in our hearts to receive the light of the world in a new way. Even though it is the same story each year, the story can touch us in different ways depending on where we are in our journey.

I invite you to consider some of the elements from the Christmas story. As you read through them, consider each word, savor them. You might want to take notes or just listen. Remember what God has done in your life and focus on the HOPE we are given through these moments of remembering God’s faithfulness in both our stories and the greatest story of all – the Christmas story.

1.)    The North Star – The Wisemen were guided by the star of Bethlehem so they could make it to the manger. When has God given you a “North Star” in your life? Was it through a relationship, a conversation or a knowing? When were you guided to goodness and truth? The story of the Magi inspires hope that if we follow our epiphanies, we will, like the Wise Men, arrive at the place we were meant to be.

2.)    Angels and Dreams – The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” The angel continued, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”  The magi received a dream from God warning them to not return home the way they came but to take another route When has God intervened directly into your life? Did you expect it? Welcome it? How did you feel? Afraid, relieved? Maybe you have had mystical experiences with Angels and dreams. How did this or does this play into your relationship with hope? We open our hearts to remember.

3.)    Darkness - God didn’t come into our world in broad daylight. He entered our lives in darkness. “Oh, Holy Night, the starts are brightly shining, this is the night of our dear savior’s birth.” Has there been a Dark Night in your life, a time that God spoke to you in a new way? Where you felt His love more fully and perfectly, despite the pains of childbirth, and perhaps the initial unknowing of what was to be?

4.)    Yes’s  – The Holy Family is an extraordinary example of saying yes to God despite cultural norms and standards.  “Let it be to me according to your word,” Mary response to God in Luke’s Gospel when she learns she is to carry Jesus. When has God invited you to say Yes? How did it turn out? Was it difficult? Were you assured? Scared both?

As we spend time in quiet with God, notice what is wanting your attention. What spoke to you during these questions and elements of the Christmas story? If you have an Advent wreath at home, I invite you to add elements to personalize your wreath. Perhaps objects from the above meditation spoke to you – you might use family photographs, or trinkets from a trip? Maybe a poem that you keep close by. Whatever is meaningful and displays and reminds you of God’s holiness and love for you, add that.  You might journal or draw or paint. Perhaps you feel led to call a friend or to go on a walk. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you. Try not to hold too tightly to an outcome. Invite lightness and play – remember that God did come into the world as an infant.

I pray peace on this time of reflection, meditation and pray and that God would fill you with hope. Amen, God is with us.

This meditation and reflection was written by Trained Spiritual Director Emily Turner and originally used for a silent retreat. You can watch the reflection here.