'On our Quaker path we can open up to knowing of the star, the light within that guides us...' Photo: Ignacio Olmedo Godoy / flickr CC.
Prepare the Way
Roswitha Jarman reflects on hearing the call of Advent
A child was born and its name was Jesus – born in the humblest of places. Later, it was given the title Christ.
Christ is a word burdened with meanings and understandings, burdened with belief systems, doubts and disbelief. Laden with questions. It is a central word in Christian history: clothed in dogma, interpretations, concepts, significance and power – Christ made synonymous with the man Jesus. Christ is a title given to the one that is touched from the deep within.
Words are symbols; their meaning lies within, and I need to crack open the shell to find the kernel. To me Christ means the anointed one, the one touched by God, or better: touched in the deepest within, touched by the mystery, touched by that which has no name or form. I believe we can all open ourselves to experience this touch; we need not give it a name, but we can call it Christ.
Be still, clear away the clutter, open up to the inner chamber, the rare place, trust it – it is safe. Drop out of your rational, sensory self to the still place. This is where the touch happens in the rare place of the moment now.
When I am really still it comes to life in me and walks with me along the shores of my life. Through parables and symbols it teaches me what I need to know. When I am still it is alive within me as I try to reach out to the sorrowing, the lonely, the blind, the destitute, and the unpeaceful. It brings healing to my touch. I easily fall asleep in its hour of need. I deny its existence and let it be crucified with the nails of my rationality and my human frailty.
Again and again it rises from death to touch me anew when I am really still.
My Christmas card this year shows two children sitting by turbulent waters with a faint star shining in the distance. I imagine many of us are thinking with deep concern about the world we are leaving our offspring. We live in a secular time, someone said on the radio. That is true if the secular is all we know about. On our Quaker path we can open up to knowing of the star, the light within that guides us. In our stillness we can know and hold on to the treasure hidden within. And yes, we constantly need to prepare the way to this knowing.
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