Clergy from left, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired; Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Assistant Rector Lynn Finnegan and Pastor Deb Church. Courtesy photo
By Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Los Alamos
Advent: “The fact of an event happening, an invention being made, or a person arriving.” “The period of four weeks before Christmas.”
My favorite time of any day is the pre-dawn moments before the light comes. I light candles and open the blinds waiting for that amazing sun to come up over the Sandias. Author and Spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton described it this way: “The world is dark and quiet, stretching out before me in a hopeful sort of way. Having just awakened from sleep, I am alert enough to savor everything—the dance of light and shadow in the yard, the breeze that plays through the wind chime on the porch, the warmth of a favorite coffee mug, the comfort of a blanket against the cold.
The nearness of God seems especially real in these early hours. As I wait for the light, time feels rich and abundant—full of possibility! —rather than scarce and limited and impossible. In the absence of stimulation—before any words have been spoken—my soul is calm and clear like the stillness of a quiet pond. There is never any doubt that the light will come; just a sense of quiet anticipation for something I know will happen because it happens every day. Without fail.”
The Friday morning after Thanksgiving, I had the honor of being the bell ringer at Smith’s for the Salvation Army with donations going to Self Help. My friends for two hours I saw generosity for others in a way that I know the Los Alamos community to be. I had folks putting money in the red kettle being very gracious toward my very energetic ringing and patient with my maybe “a little too much joy” after Thanksgiving Day food comatose. I saw folks going back into the store to buy donations for Toys for Tots with the Marine Reserves who were also there and all of this with folks saying: “We know these organizations make a difference in the world.” And this generosity was not done out of fear or obligation. It was not done only out of an overabundance of money. I had folks apologize for giving me dimes and nickels and folks who put 2 twenty-dollar bills into the kettle and each donation was not about the amount they put into the kettle. It was the response to this new day, freely given, without fear, knowing that this response, this “doing something” will matter in the lives of folks in this community. As I rang that bell Friday morning, I just kept thinking that holding a place for anticipation that God’s kingdom really is here among us, rather than giving out of guilt, is what we wait for, what we long for in Advent time. While ringing that little bell, I thought what would our world look like if we kept our hearts ready to give, ready to serve, ready to celebrate Advent every day of the year?
So, thank you Los Alamos for holding the light in this season when darkness appears to be overcoming us. Darkness of illness, of death, of divorce, of hate rhetoric, of division, of needing to make everyone wrong who does not agree with you, of isolation, of fear. Thank you for your generosity in this community in giving to others, for smiling at 10 in the morning after a busy holiday saying “Good Morning” with joy that lives in this season. Our faith communities find a variety of ways to celebrate the coming of Jesus among us, and I invite you to find one of those spaces. See how the “Light of Christ” shines with hope, peace, joy and love. See how “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:5 A blessed Advent to you all.
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a semi-monthly column written by local women clergy (pastors and deacons) including, ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com); Nicolé Ferry, Pastor, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (pastornicole@bethluth.com); Lynn Finnegan, Assistant Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org) and Deb Church, Pastor, White Rock Presbyterian Church (pastor@wrpchurch.com).
