Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Sunday, December 15

Advent Sweet Sabbath

As much emphasis as the Scripture places on pursuing purity, it places equal, if not more, emphasis on being purified. Because the truth is that none of us, as hard as we try, are pure. As we judge things against the standard of God’s whole and holy faithfulness, we quickly see how far human beings fall short. As we examine our own actions, beliefs, and motives, we very quickly see the deceitfulness of them. “Who can say “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin?’” We can’t. But as we see our own unfaithfulness, we’ll begin to entrust ourselves to the One who is faithful. And when we see God in all His purity and faithfulness, we will melt like gold and silver in a refiner’s fire.
~Hannah Anderson, “All That’s Good


Constant reminders of purity and refining surround me this Advent. Even a grass skirt emphasizes purification. Olivia and her friends hung the bark pulp underneath our house to dry and whiten only after they washed it well. The whiteness of the skirt holds importance. When Sarah made her skirt, her friends told her that it stayed in the ocean too long and took on a red tint.


Olivia’s friends worked together and quickly finished tying her skirt together. Evidently, her skirt is only a “single” and Sarah’s is a “double”. I have no idea what that means except that Olivia’s skirt was completed much more quickly.


Yesterday, they put the finishing touches on the tage, trimming the edges and shredding the fronds to fluff it out more.

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