Advent Day 24
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Today’s spiritual practice is another way of reading and studying Scripture: rewrite a passage in your own words.
Earlier I gave you a study method that works better with narrative passages (like the story of the birth of Jesus), and this re-writing exercise works better with poetry and songs.
Try today’s reading from Isaiah, or Isaiah 9:2-7 (a traditional Christmas Eve reading.)
I love doing this exercise with two types of people: those who excel at poetry and song-writing, and those who absolutely believe they don’t have that gift. (I think everyone can use their imagination, and everyone enjoys beauty.) It’s great to hear what the poets come up with; they can come up with something I’d like to frame and put on the wall. It’s also beautiful to watch when the scientific, technical people begin to let their imagination out. Technical folks write beautiful poetry! They make sure it has rhyme and rhythm, they search for the perfect words, and in general they work really hard to make it right.
Keep your re-written passage in your pocket or on your computer somewhere in a place where you can look at it from time to time. Use it as a prayer.
Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA): http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/21/
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