There is something reassuring about our traditional annual reflection with regard to the story of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, Christ's birth in the manger, and the promise of hope that arises within the celebration of the true meaning of Christmas. The story returns to us year upon year as a constant and tradition. It's a mainstay.
Within our personal lives as the years pass by, new family members may be born, others may return home to God, we might move or begin new work...but each December Christmas returns and the opportunity for renewal and hope is brought to light. There is a sense of familiarity and continuity that is sustaining and ever constant when Advent comes round and once again we begin anticipating His arrival.
On this second Sunday of Advent while I contemplate the story of Christ's birth, I am reflecting on how the story of my life is not unlike a complex and beautiful tapestry being woven upon a loom. Each thread and fiber holds an experience, interconnection with others, and frequently a valuable lesson or two. One by one the threads are woven together. These fibers stretch horizontally across the weaving creating the weft which will ultimately reveal the intricate design of a lifetime lived to completion.
Before the weaving begins, the Weaver fixes vertical fibers to the loom. The vertical fibers are strong and usually the same color. They form the warp that will hold all the other threads to the weaving. These are the durable and lasting fibers that are foundational to the lasting strength of the tapestry and all that will be woven over time. I imagine God places the warp on the loom of life before birth. Whatever particular strength is necessary becomes the anchor for the soul's journey from birth to death and beyond. Part of our work on this earth is come to know what our warp is made from.
If my life is viewed as a tapestry being woven upon a loom...what is the constant thread (my soul's strength), the foundational warp of my journey? What qualities, values, or beliefs hold my life experiences in place? How do I experience a sense of continuity and "weave" as my story unfolds upon the loom of life?
~~~~from SACRED-LIFE ARTS
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