Over the years, I am sure each of you reading have heard and sung this song. It’s a call to pay attention and participate.
Do you see what I see?
Do you hear what I hear?
Do you know what I know?
Notice that each character in the song having received another’s perspective, another’s noticing joins the chain of sharing their perspective with a new character in the song. The heavenly wind sharing with the lowly lamb, the cared-for lamb sharing with the caretaker shepherd, the poor shepherd sharing with the rich king.
The song is an invitation into a fresh perspective of the incarnation and the signs pointing to the arrival of the long-expected Jesus. Come see, Come hear, Come know.
In the contemplative stream of faith there are two ancient spiritual practices. Visio Divina – What do you see? and Lectio Divina – What do you hear?
As we immerse our senses into the everyday signs that God is drawing near, God has something new for each of us as we pause to reflect on the events unfolding during this Advent Season.
Recently we had some families over to our home. Included in our number was six-year-old Audrey. Audrey went around and made sure to point out and count every Nativity set I had. It was fun to see her excitement as she walked through our front room and discovered them arranged high and low.
I set up each nativity in tableau. All the figures are facing out to be seen by the viewer on the other side angled towards the infant holy.
When my friends had left I noticed that my youngest friend went around to every nativity within her reach and rearranged them all in a new way with her own perspective. Do you see what she saw?
Audrey didn’t see the wise men already there displayed in museum-like passiveness. She saw them coming, lining up, eager to see and to adore with their gifts. I won’t move these. What a gift she shared to move the figures the way she saw them. Keeping them as she arranged makes me pause and notice something I’d have missed without a child’s perspective.
A pause allows for a moment of presence where another perspective can penetrate the busyness and the familiar making it holy.
Find a time to look, to listen, to reflect and receive the divine life and love of God made available to all people
Share what you see, hear and know.