As we enter this Advent season, we do so in a world that somehow feels both more connected and more isolating than ever. This long stretch of pandemic in the midst of continued social, political, and environmental turmoil can be disorienting, unsettling, exhausting. What does the birth of the Christ child mean in such a place and time as this? How can we prepare? For what do we keep watch?

What if we don’t know?

Jan Richardson believes “that Christ came not to dispel the darkness but to teach us to dwell with integrity, compassion, and love in the midst of ambiguity. The one who grew in the fertile darkness of Mary’s womb knew that darkness is not evil of itself. Rather, it can become the tending place in which our longings for healing, justice, and peace grow and come to birth. ... In the dark lie possibilities for intimacy, for rest, for healing. Although we may find journeying in the dark fearsome or confusing, it teaches us to rely on senses other than sight. In the process we learn that darkness bears the capacity for good, even as evil can take place in broad daylight. ... With a perception that goes beyond visual sight, we are called to know and to name the gifts of the night and to share the visions that emerge from the darkness” (Night Visions, 1998).

This Advent, you’re invited to join the Spirit of Grace community as we enter more fully into deepening darkness through the simple yet profound spiritual practices of slowing down, paying attention, and sharing stories. In the following blog posts, you will find authentic, vulnerable reflections – mostly from people in our community who were reminded that inspiration, struggles, insights, and unresolved questions are all welcome.

We hope you will feel the embrace of our community as you read and reflect on these pages, and be reminded that God indeed dwells in thick darkness (1 Kings 8:12). What gifts might we find there? What visions will emerge?