Some of my friends have been reading Maria Boulding’s The Coming of God this Advent, and have taken to sharing snippets on Twitter. Reading them, I felt as though I was part of a daily litany, filled with wonder, longing and hope. I have heard references to this book for years, but never got close to reading it… until this Advent’s Twitter sharing. Likewise, I've somehow known of Maria Boulding for years without actually managing to read any of her books - not even out of loyalty to a famous former pupil of my old school.
Now, thanks to the Twitter litany, I’m on the lookout for anyone who can lend me a copy. Even if I end up reading it outside Advent, I’m sure its central theme, of God’s constant advent into our lives, is timeless and for all time. This, after all, is a God who comes and remains with us not just once a year but unendingly, in every circumstance and corner of our lives. Most of the time, but especially during Advent, I am reminded of these words from a poem by Tagore...
He comes, comes, ever comes...
Every moment and every age, every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes...
And for any of you who are also new to the book, or haven’t read it in a long time, here are the opening snippets copied from my friends’ tweets…
If you want God and long for union with him, yet sometimes wonder what that means or whether it can mean anything at all, you are already walking with the God who comes.
If you are at times so weary and involved with the struggle of living that you have no strength even to want God, yet are still dissatisfied that you don’t, you are already keeping Advent in your life.
If you have ever had an obscure intuition that... the touch of God in your life stills you by its gentleness, that there is a mercy beyond anything you could ever suspect, you are already drawn into the central mystery of salvation.
There is hope in us and longing because grace was there first. God’s longing for us is the spring of our longing for him...
Thanks for this. It sums up how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm still trying to plod on. I try to read daily scripture, watch a streamed service, but it feels like it's not connecting and I feel bad about that. I try to tell myself as every day passes it will get better, it won't be like this always. 'Hope' springs to mind
ReplyDeletePrayers for you as you keep on keeping on. You are plodding on with God, even if it doesn't feel like it.
ReplyDelete