December 1

“Then he turned to his disciples and said privately,

‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see’” – Luke 10:23

On a recent drive to work, I was taken aback at the beauty of the sunrise over Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA. It was truly a “blessing to see.” I was thinking of that beautiful sunrise later that same day when I mused to my polite but probably bored students that I bet I had seen dozens of sunrises that rivaled it but had not really “seen” them. That same day, we were discussing the infancy narratives in class, and I wondered, how many people saw the star in the sky over Bethlehem, but why had only the “lowly” shepherds really seen enough to run towards it? Why were they capable of seeing something that others missed?

I feel like I am given invitations by God “to see” something significant many times a day, and I “see” perhaps one out of ten. I feel like I see them more when I allow God’s grace in – unfortunately for me, often in times of struggle. For example, I remember that the area around Mass General Hospital never looked more beautiful than when I was a sprung for a short walk by my doctor seven years ago during a long hospital stay. Again, I remember the beautiful morning walks in my neighborhood this Spring during quarantine. In both of those walks, I could clearly see God’s presence in my life. How can I utilize the grace of this Advent season to open myself up to “see” more regularly, and not just in the difficult times of my life? What is God calling us to see during this Advent?

Lord, help us to see what you see and from your perspective. Give us your eyes we pray.

Amen.

Steve Ruemenapp

To view the full Advent 2020 booklet, click here.

To download an online copy of the full booklet to your computer, click here.