Many denominations within the Christian religious tradition observe the season of Advent. It includes the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to Christmas day. Hope, peace, love, and joy are central topics of reflection. The timing of Advent overlaps with Hanukkah (the festival of lights) in Judaism and the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) in the northern hemisphere. Collectively it seems a time of longing and waiting for all of creation to be restored to justice and wholeness… waiting for conditions allowing life to flourish and thrive.

Spring and the growing season can seem far off as we sense the depth of winter around the corner. The lengthening of days is a slow journey. The sight of empty seedheads can obscure awareness of the seeds stratifying on the soil. The dormancy, diapause, and hibernation of creatures in the landscape can become confused with lifelessness. The news of human events often contributes to the sense that we exist in a barren world.

When I was teaching at the seminary, I often used the following reading in an Advent devotion. (Advent themes mesh so well with student longings for the end of the semester!)

Joy Shall Come
Joy shall come to the wilderness,
And the parched land shall then know great gladness
As the rose, as the rose shall deserts blossom,
Deserts like a garden blossom.
For the living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow,
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow. 

Hebrew Traditional (1)

I would follow with this video about super blooms in Death Valley.

Life is present and tenacious even when dormant… awaiting the conditions to flourish. It may not take much—just a bit of moisture, a ray of sun, a crevice, a disturbance, a shot of courage—for life to transform and manifest. Dormancy may return, but we are reminded to be confident and hopeful.

Remember experiences of vibrant life… life nourishes life. Look for life biding its time… life dwells around us. Anticipate life emergent… life persists. May the Spirit foster hope, peace, and abundant life for you, loved ones, and the places you dwell!

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(1) Blain Susan A Sharon Iverson Gouwens Catherine O’Callaghan and Grant Spradling. 1995. Imaging the Word : An Arts Lectionary Resource (vol. 2). Cleveland Ohio: United Church Press. p. 88.