Dec. 23, 2010
DEVOTION: Savory Signs
By Beth Bondurant
Huntington, WV (HNN) - Aromatic smells seem to permeate most every household during this Advent season. From traditional cookie recipes to tender honey baked ham... we enjoy the savory signs of the season.
"God's love is not cautious but extravagant. God didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of self to us. Love like that... and this sweet fragrance pervades all."
From the tiniest snowflake... to the amazing beauty of poinsettias... God's aromatic love covers us up... and reminds us how "giving of self and giving of love" is the reason for the season.
Life moves forward even as we look back to the creche and "find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes". The defused odor of a stable is a startling reminder of God's presence "through it all"... no matter where we might find ourselves by day or by night.
God's goodness surrounds those in a hospital bed... or standing next to the casket of a loved one... or knee deep in mud as one digs to find whatever has been lost... or in the sweet touch of a hungry child... the frantic clutch of one in need... the cry of loneliness or the heartbreak of division.
God's love endures in the savory signs of each and every season of life.
O God, help me not only feel your presence ...but smell hope and healing with every breath. Prepare my senses to know you surround this day with goodness and mercy... that even in the darkest corner of our hearts... your fragrant love hovers in and around us. Forgive me for rushing away from something or somebody that bombards my senses with unwelcome odor...and free me up to accept that Your presence is always "in the air". With thanksgiving and praise... let me breathe in your grace and receive the wonder of Christmas love so freely poured out in today's savory signs of Advent.
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DEVOTION: Savory Signs
By Beth Bondurant
Huntington, WV (HNN) - Aromatic smells seem to permeate most every household during this Advent season. From traditional cookie recipes to tender honey baked ham... we enjoy the savory signs of the season.
"God's love is not cautious but extravagant. God didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of self to us. Love like that... and this sweet fragrance pervades all."
From the tiniest snowflake... to the amazing beauty of poinsettias... God's aromatic love covers us up... and reminds us how "giving of self and giving of love" is the reason for the season.
Life moves forward even as we look back to the creche and "find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes". The defused odor of a stable is a startling reminder of God's presence "through it all"... no matter where we might find ourselves by day or by night.
God's goodness surrounds those in a hospital bed... or standing next to the casket of a loved one... or knee deep in mud as one digs to find whatever has been lost... or in the sweet touch of a hungry child... the frantic clutch of one in need... the cry of loneliness or the heartbreak of division.
God's love endures in the savory signs of each and every season of life.
O God, help me not only feel your presence ...but smell hope and healing with every breath. Prepare my senses to know you surround this day with goodness and mercy... that even in the darkest corner of our hearts... your fragrant love hovers in and around us. Forgive me for rushing away from something or somebody that bombards my senses with unwelcome odor...and free me up to accept that Your presence is always "in the air". With thanksgiving and praise... let me breathe in your grace and receive the wonder of Christmas love so freely poured out in today's savory signs of Advent.
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
