Prepping the Mansion...

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

I'm sitting by the glow of the Advent candles and taking a moment to consider what the collect is saying as we get closer to the moment that we mark God's return into our world as a baby, again.

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation. It is interesting to think that we place so much emphasis on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Advent is supposedly a season of waiting and anticipation, but for many it is a season of wringing the hands and running to and fro from the shopping mall to the grocery store to the job to the holiday party with platters of food that you really aren't supposed to eat (OK, maybe this WON'T kill me to have a few cookies... and cheese... and artichoke dip...). In all of the build up of this season, it can be hard to remember that the work begun in each of us to prepare our mansion has been going on all year. For me, to think about the "daily visitation" of God is just a little unnerving to have in a collect since "God thoughts" seem to intrude on me as I sit at traffic lights, or as I surf the internet. And the daily visitation is something that we can be oblivious to noticing. How often do we take a moment in our hurried lives to see the creation around us? Just to take in a breath can be enough to remember that we are a uniquely beautiful creative masterpiece of God's will, and to know that God is never far from us if we remain willing to look.

...that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself. I have talked before here on this blog about The Body House and how I read references to God dwelling in the temple to mean not just a building, but rather to be dwelling in us. And as I read this part of the collect, I'm reminded of the famous lines in the Gospel of John, "In my father's house there are many mansions..." (KJV. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible uses 'rooms' instead of 'mansions'.) Through the 'daily visitation' of God in our lives, and through us being mindful of God being above, below and all around us, we may find that our "mansions" have been spruced up a bit. When thoughts turn to God, fleet away from God, and yet return back to God, our way of behaving and responding in the world changes. This begins what I see as the shedding of old patterns and habits that don't feed into the waters of eternal life from which we are invited to drink. The stuff of "life" that weighs us down is dead weight...figuratively speaking. When we realize that "the stuff" doesn't have to hold so much importance, there is a mental shift that happens. Kind of like throwing open a window in the room that had been closed up. Air and light blow in, and the room (our mansion) is transformed and ready to receive the much anticipated guest of honor.

The Advent wreath is glowing with light. We are on the cusp of Christmas. Let's take a moment to breathe and know that I AM has been at work within us to prepare a mansion fit for this king.