Poems without Words

There are poems
That are never written,
That simply move across
The mind
Like skywriting
On a still day.
Slowly the first word
Drifts west,
The last letters dissolve
On the tongue,
And what is left
Is the pure blue
Of insight, without cloud
Or comfort.

By Linda Pastan

Of the Divine Feminine, we were all conceived and born into this world of earth. The world and all that exists, mineral, plant, animal, and human have been born and created out of wisdom.

We all have access to the Divine Feminine. We are in her and of her. Yet, she is invisible and elusive.

Advent brings us closer to this mystery. The mood that we cultivate, the quiet, the stillness, the darkness, all lead us to the path we must follow. Ah, but she is silent…

Consider the rose; penetrating into the earth with its roots, bringing earth along with it into its woody stem, drawing up in spirals, putting out thorns to ward off the enemy and then bursting into the most unlikely surprise! The rose blossom is unimaginable. In its exquisite beauty and form it is a manifestation of Divine Wisdom. It is a transformation of earthly substance into something that is almost super-earthly. The rose petal and its fragrance are as close to heaven as possible in the material world.

How was the rose first conceived before it was a rose? It was an immaculate conception out of the Holy Spirit into earthly being.

How did the birth of Jesus upon earth come about?

It was an immaculate conception out of the Holy Spirit into earthly being.

How does the Holy Spirit work now? What is it that wants to be born into this world that we are to conceive of and bear and nurture? How can the Holy Spirit work through us?

This is the call of preparation, of Advent. We are called to purify our souls so that we can receive what the Holy Spirit wants to bring to us. We are to create the space, like writing a poem and then letting it go, so that all that is left is “the pure blue of insight” and the warm-heartedness, courage, and goodwill to act on it.

We can return again and again where we left off. That is not the same as “starting over.” Pick it up and allow yourself to find a new and higher place.

It is time to conceive of the world differently.

Sermon by Rev. Carol Kelly