by the Rev. Fred Devall, Rector, St. Martin’s, Metairie
December has always been my favorite month in Louisiana. The sasanquas and camellias come into bloom, while the cypress needles transform to a beautiful hue of orange/brown. The heat is long gone and it’s often chilly but not freezing. We even get to harvest citrus. Most of all the light this time of year is spectacular, particularly in the woods. Sunlight streaming through the moss-laden oaks and cypress is an image that brings me peace, something much needed to counter the madness and commercialism that seem to have conquered the “holy” of holidays.
Advent is a pivotal season of remembering and looking ahead. We remember that our Lord first came to us as a child and with all the vulnerability implied therein. The Second Coming is a major theme of Advent, and we anticipate the Lord’s return with joy. For many, however, the Second Coming is communicated only through frightening, not joyful, language. I’ve always found this odd, given that the template of Incarnation is one of vulnerability. Our God shows love by becoming vulnerable. Nothing is forced, coerced, or even demanded. It is simply offered. Why should that model grow outdated when Jesus returns?
Wendell Berry captures the essence of this love in his famous book Jayber Crow. While the interaction between characters is of first order, the context is equally important- rural community of town and farms. Some of the farmers are extractors only. They care only about today. Others see themselves as temporarily caring for the land, holding it in trust for those who would come after. They don’t force anything out of the land; they work with the land to receive what it yields. Men of violence and vengeance quickly reveal themselves as they interact with the land and their fellow townsfolk. They are often frightened and frightening people, devoid of joy and peace. By the end of the book, their brokenness draws sympathy from the reader, but only after much destruction in the preceding pages. Even then, love is offered. Violence does not win out, but vulnerability endures.
The Incarnation is modeled in the person of Jesus. It is also imprinted throughout creation, offered to anyone who accepts it. Advent Blessings.
This is a series of Advent reflections written by members of the Environmental Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. Learn more about the Environmental Commission here.