EMMANUEL and WITH-NESS

The Jesse Tree in the Sanctuary of Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma, Washington.

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This morning I participated in "Come to the Light," the 2018 Advent Quiet Morning at Christ Episcopal Church of Tacoma, Washington. It was a morning of worship with Holy Communion, followed by three priest-led devotions on the O Antiphons with time for mediation, reflection, and prayer after each devotion.

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The third devotion began with some explication on the O Antiphons and their relationship to the song of Mary, the Magnificat of Luke 1. We moved from the general Os to meeting Adonai of the second Antiphon and now to Emmanuel of the seventh and culminating Antiphon. Emmanuel, "God with us," God present, was defined in opposition to the distant capricious Gods of the Roman Empire who reveled in bloodsport and violence. We reflected on how different the Christian expression of God is from the Roman divinities.

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We focused upon the preposition of with. We focused upon the notion of community.

With us. Among us. In Him. For us.

We heard from the poetry of T.S. Eliot in "Choruses from 'The Rock'" and Malcolm Guite from Waiting on the Word.

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We were turned loose for our final time of reflection, meditation, and prayer. I chose to not write. To not take photos. But to simply sit in the Sanctuary and think about what community means to me.

The beauty of the Spirit's work, if I'm actually paying attention, is that community was right there. Even though I didn't speak to anyone once the quiet of Advent Quiet Morning started (except during the "Sharing of the Peace" in worship) I felt a part of those gathered; in our individual concerns we prayed, reflected, and meditated as one entity. I watched a couple of participants who were members of the congregation work in the Sanctuary during the time of quiet reflection. One woman spent time adding evergreen branches and cones to the Advent wreath. (There's that tree again!) Another woman was polishing up candle brass. I thought of the work of similar servants in my own congregation.

I thought of the priests telling us earlier that we yearn for a community. And God in that community, with us.

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As the bell rang for the third and final time, there in one of the corners of the Sanctuary was a Jesse Tree (pictured above). We returned the Chapel, gathered for a final word from the priest, and departed.

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My soul was filled.

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I returned to the Sanctuary at the conclusion in order to take the above photograph. Then departed home in peace.