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ADVENT MEDITATIONS – TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6

Psalms 26, 28; Isaiah 5:13-17, 24-25; Luke 21: 29-38

 
Listen to the author read their meditation and prayer:
Dr. Claire Colombo, Advent Meditation
 
In Luke’s Parable of the Fig Tree, Jesus tells us to “look at the fig tree and all the trees”2016_advent_cover_large
(21:29) and that as soon as there are leaves we can see for ourselves, the kingdom of
God is near (21:30). He doesn’t say that the leaves are like the coming of the kingdom or that they symbolize the coming of the kingdom. He says that the kingdom is near when the leaves are seen.
In other words, it’s less about the leaves than about our seeing them burst forth. The coming of the kingdom can’t happen in a vacuum. It has to happen in the presence of us, of people who notice the tiniest life-movements in the created world.
This may be why Jesus heads to the leafy Mount of Olives after teaching in the temple every day. He knows that in order to have anything to say tomorrow, he has to spend time near the kingdom. He has to spend time seeing life among “all the trees” before he can be life for “all the people” (21:38).
How might his choice inform ours? Gathering to hear God’s word in the “temple”—in services, Sunday school, and seminary—is right, and a good and joyful thing. But so is following Jesus into the trees. Budding leaves may be scarce in winter (even in Texas) but look around. Emerging life is everywhere, always. Wherever you see it, you’re ushering in the kingdom itself.
God of budding leaves, open our eyes that we may see your kingdom not only in the temple, but also in the trees. Amen.
 
Dr. Claire Colombo, ‘12
Director, Center for Writing and Creative Expression
SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST


claire-columbo_0
As director of the seminary’s writing center, Dr. Colombo facilitates the development and delivery of writing support services for all seminary students. She provides staff oversight of the seminary’s literary journal,Soul by Southwest, and offers a range of workshops and seminars designed to strengthen student writing and expression in all modes.
Dr. Colombo has also served on the seminary’s adjunct faculty since 2012. Her teaching and research interests include theology and literature, theopoetics, and the Christian wisdom tradition.
As a freelance educational writer, Dr. Colombo develops religion curricula for Loyola Press of Chicago and is a regular contributor to their Finding God magazines and newsletters. She also writes literature, language arts, and humanities curricula for several major publishers.
Dr. Colombo is literary co-chair of Theopoetics: A Journal of Theological Imagination, Literature, Embodiment, and Aesthetics. She holds a Diploma in Theological Studies from Seminary of the Southwest.

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