- 17
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 17, 2023
The Fifteenth Day of Advent
Well, we have reached the third Sunday in Advent, the halfway mark, the pink candle on the wreath. In many ways this time seems to be moving slowly, still in other ways zipping along, getting away from us. Lighting the third candle always sends my thoughts back to what it must have felt like to wait for The Coming, which was the promise of the prophets, and The Word of God. Those waiting did not wait for a week. They did not wait for months like a mother preparing for birth. They waited for hundreds of years in hope and faith. Honestly it can be so difficult for me to wait for something, especially when it is a something or a someone, I am so eager to see, and be with. It can be difficult for a child to wait for a birthday, or any celebration. But to wait for so long, trusting The One would come, but not knowing when it would occur is a staggering thought, for me, like wandering in the desert. So, we have to stop, and think, when we face challenging times. Is it our time in the desert? Is it our time of preparation for that which is to come? I remember, when I was 11 or 12, I rode the city bus from my home to my school downtown. There was always a bench for waiting so you did not have to stand until the bus arrived. Sometimes, the buses would be running late, and I would get impatient, sitting and waiting. A few times, my patience wore thin, and I would start walking, following the sidewalk, heading downtown on my own. Occasionally it would get hot, or rain would fall, or I would get a nervous feeling about losing my way, until I reached another bus stop and bench, an oasis along my journey. Then, it would not take long for doubt to set in, and I would worry about getting on the wrong bus, ending up in the wrong place. It was in those times I fervently wished I had stayed put on the familiar bench, at the regular bus stop. I wonder how it must have been waiting, and waiting, all those hundreds of years. How often one must have been tempted to lose faith, give up hope! Now, we are in the season of Advent, a time of commemorating the waiting for The Coming, remembering those who did not surrender to doubt, but persevered in faith.
On this fifteenth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:16-17.
The Reading
December 17, 2023
“Justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:16-17
- 17
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
Those you love are on their own spiritual journey. And when times are difficult for those you love, when they encounter obstacles along the path, it can be difficult for you, as well, because you love them, and you do not want to see them fall, or fail, in any way. But it is just because you love them that I ask you to stand by them when the air is stirred with chaos, confusion, tumultuous feelings. Standing by, supporting their efforts, does not mean resolving the issues for them. It means being there to encourage their every step, so they know they are not alone. That is what I do, for you. Your Earth adventure is a string of events, which come to you, and which are yours to do. I provided all you need to accomplish the goal. These gifts are within you. You cannot lose your gifts, nor can they be taken from you, by another. I have sent you forth to see, and know, and shine in the doing of that which is yours to do. But your mission is not Mine to do. What I shall do is walk every step of The Way, with you, and that is exactly what you are to do for those you love. Do not take away the glory and nobility of their mission by taking things into your own hands. Be with them as I AM with you.
And The Holy Spirit says:
Seeing the challenges along The Way as a series of lessons you are to learn, so they might aid you on your mission, opens your eyes to clarity of vision. So you are not taking the grand journey alone, I have been sent to dwell, within thee, so you might know The Way. Remember Me when times of struggle tend to cloud the path. And remember that I AM within each of thee to comfort, support, guide, to lead you through night and day. Come sit with Me, today. Together we shall forge The Way.
- 16
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 16, 2023
The Fourteenth Day of Advent
In the last few days, I have been wrapping, not only Christmas gifts, but birthday gifts. Our family has so many December birthdays. And yours might as well. No matter how many boxes you wrap there always seems to be one more needing attention. I have never liked wrapping in a hurry. The wrapping, boxing, or bagging, for me, is an important presentation for the gift you are giving. And it is always fun to make the wrapping unique, a bit like the person, receiving the gift. Yesterday afternoon I was making a nest with tissue paper, in which to rest the gift, inside the box. The recipient’s favorite color is pink, and she has a penchant for bows, and buns, and glitter. So, of course the wrapping would be, just like her, pink, with bows, and buns, and glitter. The gift placed inside did not cost very much at all, but it was exactly what she talked about. So, when the gift was snug within tissue paper, the box closed, and the final touches complete, I smiled. It was just perfect. The packaging resembled her, all the things she liked. I was pleased. It was then the thought occurred to me, in truth it was a waking vision which appeared, telling the story, within a picture, a flash in time. There was a figure, which was blurred by clouds of gold and white. The wrapping of a gift was taking place, complete with paper, ribbons, stickers, pinecones, and many other articles, destined to be used as decoration for the box, which would hold the gift. There was a dizzying array of items set all around, and I wondered what would happen next. But the entire field of vision changed to clouds of gold and white, illuminated by The Light behind them. Then came the whisper. “Think of your earthly body as the box I decorated to be like you, making sure to include the things you like to do, the things which make you, you. You are the box. You are the determining factor when it comes to the decorations. But the gift, from Me to you, is nestled carefully, lovingly, within the package, that is you. My gift to you is all you need, held within you. It is there you are to look for the treasure I give unto you.” Thank each of you for coming on this Advent journey with me. You have made this season spark with life, and love, unique in every way. Thank you.
On this fourteenth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:4.
The Reading
December 16, 2023
“The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.” Isaiah 32:4
- 16
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
Do not be labored by an endless chain of doubt, doubt of what you have done in the past, doubt about what you are doing today, doubt about what is going to happen in the future. While you sit with Me, together we will break the chains of doubt, and you shall no longer be hindered by something which need not be. Have you not noticed that when we are together, when you are speaking with Me, you are free of doubt? Have you not noticed that when our communion is complete, so are you? Do not surrender the gifts I have given thee to the energy of doubt. Take that which is thine, and live. Shine in all the glory with which you are endowed, for you and your gifts come from Me. Live in the present piece of eternity with thee, and remember to bring every doubt to Me, before it invades the sacred sanctuary within thee. In this way you shall live free.
And The Holy Spirit says:
I will not desert thee, as I was sent to thee to show The Way, to counsel, to guide, and to teach. Do not doubt that I AM within you, and that it is as it is meant to be.
- 15
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 15, 2023
The Thirteenth Day of Advent
Today slipped away without anything happening to catch my eye, or ear, to share with you. It was more quiet, than is usual, uneventful. Perhaps this type of day is most familiar to each of us, more similar between each of us. That is it! I felt as if I had proclaimed it aloud. Eureka! I was in the midst of celebrating ordinary days. Most of our days, upon Earth, are spent moving from one thing to another, no extraordinary occurrences interrupting the flow. And that is how it has been for centuries. All of us doing whatever was ours to do from sunrise to sunset, then falling asleep, ending the ordinary day. So, as I sang the songs and read the verse, lighting two candles on the Advent wreath, I repeated the prayer, “Thank you God, for this extraordinary ordinary day.” While these are not the days we often remember in stories, or commemorate in a poem, they are of such comfort. These are the days which comprise most of our lifetime on Earth. And it is in their quiet presence we find tender repose.
On this thirteenth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:2.
The Reading
December 15, 2023
“Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.” Isaiah 32:2
- 15
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
Set down that burden of shame you have been carrying, pushed down, so deeply entrenched that no one would guess the secret consuming you from within. For I know you, and all about you, yet still love you. Rid yourself of shame by sitting with Me. Bring that which you are, shame and all. When I speak, you will listen and hear, then come to see that shame does not have a home within you unless you provide it. In My light all things shall be illuminated, revealed in The Glory of My Light. What do I see in The Glory of My Light? I see thee, My child. I see thee.
And The Holy Spirit says:
Acknowledge that which you have thought, and said, and done. Then you will no longer need to run nor hide from anyone.
- 14
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 14, 2023
The Twelfth Day of Advent
I walked in the front door to an unusually quiet house, at least for 3:00 pm. Then I saw my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, sitting together, under a blanket, on the sofa, in the living room. It was still in the room. My granddaughter looked up and smiled, without calling my name and running straight toward me. My daughter-in-law said, “hello,” in a hushed tone. There was a small stack of clothing in her lap, and she was sewing a patch on the knee of a pant leg. Normally, I would have waved and gone down the stairs to my apartment, without thinking much about it. But this was different. I believe it is because everyday things are catching my eye this Advent season, more than ever. It occurred to me that thousands of years ago, when the people were waiting for that which was to come, they were performing everyday tasks such as mending clothing, cooking meals, and bringing in the harvest. I walked, quietly, back up the stairs, and peeked around the corner, my eyes drinking in the vignette before me. Soon, laughter and squeals of joy would fill the air. It would no longer be quiet. But now, just for a while, held in the sweet silence of contentment and love, they were the gift, a vision of peace.
On this twelfth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:2.
The Reading
December 14, 2023
“Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” Isaiah 32:2