Session 3: A Night in the Stable
We will begin with a stillness exercise, to help you become aware of entering into God’s presence.
You might like to light a candle, or turn on a small light… You can also do this in your imagination.
Notice how the light affects the darkness… focus on the light, how it moves, or stays completely still, offering the room its peace…
Imagine for a moment, being touched by God’s love for you, as the darkness is touched by the light…
Notice how you feel…
As we continue our Advent journey, let’s imagine the stable where Jesus was born… notice the the sights and sounds of Jesus’ birth… the smells and tastes evoked by the animals… the crunch of straw beneath your feet… you might even imagine yourself present there… waiting with anticipation for the baby Jesus to be born… Place yourself there for a few moments…
As you ponder the stable in Bethlehem, take a moment to notice the way your heart has been fashioned… you have a heart both noble and true… a heart which cannot bear pretence… a heart which lets you know when you are on the right path… Poor and humble though they are, our hearts are the places where we will hear those first signs of life… that cry of infant wonder as Jesus is born…
Now listen to Paul’s words from the Letter to the Philippians:
Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus could have been born in the finest of garments, but instead is wrapped in swaddling clothes… he could have been born in the grandest of palaces, but instead is born in a stable… he could have been born surrounded by royalty or politicians, but instead is surrounded by the humblest of animals… Notice how Jesus lays aside his glory to become human for us… so that we might love him just as he is… in the same way that he loves us just as we are… Speak to Jesus right now, and listen for his response…
O Wisdom, Lord and Ruler, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Rising Sun, King of the Nations, Emmanuel. Come, Lord Jesus.