Christmas Presence

Here we are: Christmas.

We end this Advent series as we began, with Aelred of Rievaulx’s proclamation: God is friendship. The mystics, saints and prophets who walked with us over the past four weeks knew this to be true, not because they read it in a book or it was a line to believe in a creed, but because they lived it. Friendship was the air they breathed, the water they drank, the animating force in their hands and feet.

One of my favorite quotes, which I read and ponder each Advent, comes from German mystic Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) who said:

We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always seeking to be born. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I also do not give birth to him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: when the Son of God is begotten in us. and (Christ in their midst). How that looked for each of them was different.

These challenging words of Eckhart ask us to not just passively receive an ancient story about a one-time event two thousand years ago, but to make friends with it. To show up for the annunciation and incarnation ongoing in our own lives. To become Christmas. Each of our mystics, saints and prophets this year accepted that call in ways unique to their time, culture and calling.

For Aelred of Rievaulx and Therese of Lisieux, it was a commitment to the daily work of showing up in community, for among the brothers and sisters in their midst they discovered the gateway to God.

For Rufus Jones and Howard Thurman, their guidance helping others find their Inner Light reverberated through two of the most significant periods of the 20th century—the rebuilding of Europe after World War II and the American Civil Rights movement.

Francis and Clare of Assisi took the deep love they felt for one another and, rather than keep it secret, set it loose for the good of the world.

In the bonds of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller, and Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross what began as master-student relationships evolved into the truth that wisdom and compassion runs in all directions.

Evelyn Underhill, Rumi and Shams reveled in the mysteries of a wild God, and gifted that God to a world hungry for wonder and awe.

Friendship by its very nature seeks to break barriers and few modeled that better than Eleanor Roosevelt and Pauli Murray.

Bill Wilson and Carl Jung proved that we have the power, with just a word or simple act, to change someone’s life and give hope.

Julian of Norwich and Bernard of Clairvaux offered lovingkindness to Margery Kempe and Hildegard of Bingen, two of the most spiritually gifted and misunderstood people of their age, just when both were at their most vulnerable.

And then there are those like Corrie Ten Boom, Viktor Frankl and Regina Jonas who in the darkest of times made of their lives the brightest of lights.

How is God calling you to spiritual friendship?

While Christmas is the end of a season of preparation and anticipation, like all endings it is also a beginning. The mission of Christmas, should we choose to accept it, is to take the flame kindled in us by these mystics, saints and prophets, and pass it on in loving friendship to all we meet, starting today.

Thank you for spending this Advent with me. I will see you back here next year. In the meantime, I wish you peace and every blessing,

Greg Durham
Austin, Texas

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Practice

Christmastide lasts 12 days. Spend these days focusing your devotions, prayers and meditations on the birth narrative of Jesus found in Luke 1-20. This story, like all the gospel stories, is a finely-cut jewel. Hold it up, give it a turn and you may see the light sparkle in a way you haven’t seen before.

Also, if you found this series meaningful, consider picking one or two entries and passing them on, in friendship, to someone you think would be touched by them. This project has spread over the past few years in a way I never could have anticipated, and which shows to me that there is a thirst for meaningful stories.

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Holiday Happenings at Life In The City

All in-person gatherings are at 205 East Monroe Street in Austin, Texas.

Sun. Dec. 8, 11:15am: LITC's original holiday musical, Make Room In Your Heart. 
Sat. Dec. 21, 6:00pm: Blue Christmas, an intimate gathering for the longest night. 
Mon. Dec. 23, 6:00pm: Christmas Eve-Eve candlelight service...an LITC tradition! Sun. Dec. 29, 11:15am: Welcome 2025 with a casual service of coffee, cookies, conversation and resolution-making.

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Contemplation In The City

Life In The City’s contemplative community meets regularly to practice sacred traditions like Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. If you’re in Austin, consider joining us. Upcoming in-person gatherings are Jan. 14, Feb. 4, Mar. 4, Apr. 8, May 6. We meet at 205 East Monroe Street in Austin. Doors open at 6pm for coffee and conversation, service from 7-8pm. You might also find meaning in our monthly newsletter in which we wrestle with how to live a spiritually engaged life in the modern world. Read more here.

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Ready For More?

Read the Introduction to the 2022 edition, to find out how my experience of September 11, 2001 became my gateway to Advent.

Find more mystics, saints and prophets in our Archive.

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Feedback

Catch a typo? Have suggestions for mystics, saints and prophets for a future year? Leave feedback in the Comments below or email Greg Durham at greg@litcaustin.org.