And in the dark streets shineth

Thursday, December 21, 2023

(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)

And in the dark streets shineth

Margaret walked a 20 minute circle around the 360 Balance Office Complex with Kendall, her vestibular physical therapist. After just three sessions, Margaret now walks without losing her balance. Her therapist told her, “Now you can learn to walk again, learn to walk without the fear of falling.” And that’s exactly what’s happening.

Kendall, like Elizabeth Mary’s cousin in yesterday’s lectionary, is in her sixth month of pregnancy. A second boy will join the family’s two-year old, a blond tousle-haired bundle of energy. Kendall encouraged Margaret so much. I am sure she encourages her family too. Her energetic son didn’t fall far from the tree.

My lover speaks, he says to me, “Arise my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The song of the dove is heard in our land.”

Sometimes our medical experts feel like friends. The neurologist who referred Margaret to 360 Balance was born in Urbana, just a few blocks from our house on Lincoln Ave. Dr. Krishna Pokola acted like he knew us from his first sentence. He verbalized a probable diagnosis, which did not turn out to be accurate, and he admitted he was wrong before we left. That’s always a plus in our book, a doctor who is not a know-it-all.

The Lord has turned away your enemies and himself is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. He rejoices over you with gladness and renews you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

At our Empty Nesters Sunday School class Christmas party a few nights ago, Margaret and I were sitting alone on the ground floor of a three floor lake house owned by one of our class members. The music played, softly, invitingly. Margaret has always danced well, and she loves it. “We could do a little slow dance maybe,” she said.

She could never have said that a week ago. Her confidence flies high. People came downstairs and we didn’t get the chance to dance. But I bet we will one of these days. Doesn’t seem like much, but it is for us.

Give thanks to the Lord on the harp. Sing to him a new song, and shout to heaven with voices of gladness. For the plan of the Lord stands forever, the design of his heart through all generations.

But we are not either of us in a hurry to get overly well, as if we were getting younger. Both of us are mostly patient in our various, usually temporary afflictions. The power of our trust in the hesed of God overcomes our fear of failure, fear of falling, fears of every kind.

Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and shield. In his holy name we trust.

We need not hurry, we have more than enough. What planning we do stays tentative, even as it sounds and feels definite. Christmas this year seems MORE to me, more rich and bountiful, more lasting. I am more hungry for it. My heart yearns, it almost hurts during these few more Advent days, darker into tonight’s winter solstice.  Jesus is coming soon. Emmanuel.

So often it seems we are so in the mood for Christmas,

but then something awful happens

and it changes everything.

But this is backwards.

Difficulties are constant: awful things happen—

and then Christmas comes along and changes everything.

 

This is the reason for the season.

“Because these days are dark,” the Beloved says,

“I come to be with you.

I see the pain, the loneliness, the despair.

I feel already the splinters of the manger, the nails.

And—therefore— I have come to be with you.”

 

Don’t be afraid of the dark days, the broken days,

the hard days, the blank days.

This is where Christmas happens. – Steve Garnaas-Holmes

 Song of Songs 2, Zephaniah 3, Psalm 33, Luke 1)

(posted at www.davesandel.net)

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