Eternal One, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
From everlasting to everlasting
You are God. — Psalm 90:1-2
Bright eyes take in all the world. Tiny hands wave and reach and hold. Feet kick and push. This tiny person has entered into the world and nothing will ever be the same again. No, I’m not talking about baby Jesus, though I’m sure this would all apply to him as well. I’m talking about my infant daughter, Cora, long awaited and much beloved.
This Advent season I have discovered that life with an infant is life lived in the moment. Where once I spent a lot of time thinking about the future – making plans for my education, family, and career or simply for the upcoming year in my work – now, I take care of THIS moment and only this moment. Really, it’s what I can manage.
I live now. From one feed or sleep or dirty diaper or load of laundry to the next. My infant daughter’s immediate needs overshadow all else. As do the immediate delights of life as her mom – her grip on my finger, the new-baby smell of her head, her bright eyes holding mine, the weight of her body in my arms, the intimacy of feeding her, a coo, a smile, even the crumpling of her face right before she cries.
Time exists now: in this moment. This moment is all we have of eternity, of everlasting to everlasting. This moment. This is it. And it is so very much – so rich and full and precious.
“Eternal One, you have been our dwelling place in all generations…. From everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God is our dwelling place now. Mine and my daughter’s. My mother’s and my grandmothers’. Yours and your parents’ and your grandparents’. In this moment and in every moment God is God – loving and grace-filled and merciful.
This Christmas, may you be pulled into the moment to live now and to know God’s everlasting presence as your dwelling place, your home, your sanctuary. Now and forever. From everlasting to everlasting. Amen.
