Mary is not only reflective during her 9 months of waiting. She is a ponderer--holding her experience close to her heart and waiting to see what it all might mean. Her reflections burst into joy with Elizabeth, but remain hidden when, later Mary treasures up what the shepherds have said and ponders their meaning in… Continue reading Ponderings and Good Soil
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Reorienting
If you were to ask my younger sister and illustrator if there was anything tentative in me with respect to the title of what is now Songs of Assent, she would begin her humorous romp through every title that was, in its season, the absolute right one. I had nine months of writing to name this creative baby...and it took… Continue reading Reorienting
Riding the Ripples
From one angle of vision, Mary’s rebounding “do whatever He tells you” illumines the kind of peace so anchored in her trust in Jesus that she could hold lightly to her plans and wait in harbor for her Son’s next move. But from another direction, her initial commentary at the wedding in Cana was itself a risk. Once the… Continue reading Riding the Ripples
Stranded In Time (Zechariah Part 3)
Four hundred years. In the particular span between Malachi and the birth of Jesus, there was a great deal of land conquering and dominating afoot. The vast conquest by Alexander the Great was followed a century or so later by the domination of Julius Caesar. In the east, China began to build its Great Wall. Virgil, Dante’s literary companion… Continue reading Stranded In Time (Zechariah Part 3)
Supreme Activity
If God just made a "mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all" kind of selection in choosing Jesus' mother, then Mary is so far beyond our experience that there is no point in pondering her response to God. She was just a superior sort of being. But if it is God's… Continue reading Supreme Activity
Tasting and Longing (Psalm 84)
I can't find the taste I remember. For several months my colleagues and I would gather at a mentor's home where she served us her favorite tea. It was the cleanest, deepest flavor I had ever tasted. I drank my first and last cup of this tea over twenty-five years ago. I've been looking for… Continue reading Tasting and Longing (Psalm 84)
Tasting Wisdom
This fall I am teaching a study from Labor Day to Thanksgiving on Christian wisdom. I have been intrigued by various reactions to this topic as it has come up in the recent past. “I am teaching a class on Christian wisdom... “ “So, you are going to teach on Proverbs?” “No, I am going to teach on wisdom.… Continue reading Tasting Wisdom
Tattooed
I got on the plane after another gloriously intense session of the Institute for Worship Studies. IPod and book in hand, I sat down next to a strong, muscular guy in his early 30’s. His earbuds were dangling from the collar of his t-shirt. Thought: This is going to be a quiet ride. Reality: It was a voyage on the… Continue reading Tattooed
Uninvited Solitude
I've had an uninvited visitor in my home for the past several days. She isn't visible to anyone but God and me. Her visit began with a rather unwelcome, but much needed, departure. Nearly two weeks ago my husband dropped everything to be with his ailing mother across the country. My son is here, but… Continue reading Uninvited Solitude
Wisdom’s Sister Susannah
I picked up a compilation of prayers throughout the ages tonight, and found this prayer by Susanna Wesley. It sounds a great deal like my discussion of fantasy lives (p. 112ff), and I had to smile at finding such an articulate description of a similar challenge 250 years ago. Susanna writes,“Save me from leading an imaginary life in the… Continue reading Wisdom’s Sister Susannah
Carla Waterman 