Ripples – 16″ x 20″ – aquarium gravel, glue, on panel. Advent, 2010.
In the season of Advent, we are asked to cultivate a spirit of quietness. This is quite a counter-cultural suggestion, in the midst of the furious holiday activity going on around us.
This time of increased introspection and quietness is intended to make us more attuned to experience the presence of God, which we will celebrate especially in the festival of Christmas, but which surrounds us all the time even when we are not aware of it.
If a pebble drops into a still pond, the ripples it creates will be able to spread far, but if the water is turbulent, it will have no noticeable effect. If our hearts and minds are busy and agitated, we will not as easily experience the effect of the presence of God. If we, like Elijah, are to be able to hear the “still small voice” by which the Divine sometimes speaks to us, we must cultivate some stillness within ourselves.