Sacred Communication/Sacred Journey 2020

                        On December 8th at 9pm one of my favorite bands released a new Christmas single.  The song is Christmas Saves The Year by Twenty One Pilots. I was notified of the song release moments after I finished reading the chapter on Masks in the Landscapes of the Sacred book. I immediately stopped what I was doing to listen. The song perfectly described this year and how many may be feeling this Christmas season. All while adding a perfect theme of joy and hope. This song was a mask disguised as a message from God, with a deeper hidden meaning in the lyrics.  Snow falls down from the gray sky  Ashes fall in the sea  Plans are thrown to the wayside  Frozen days of the week But everybody wants to make it home this year  Even if the world is crumblin' down' Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf  With cheap decor and flavored cheer  You rest a...

 In the Landscapes of the sacred book in the chapter in The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy it explains how often times things that are sacred are often hidden with a mask.    One part that stood out to me was Martin Luther's explanation of this concept.  He claimed that God could never be pursued directly, and in order to shield human beings from the unapproachable light of God's glory always remains hidden. Even in the Catholic church when given his body and blood it is hidden in the form of bread and wine. In scripture 1 Kings 19, 11-12:     11. Then the LORD said Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD-but the lord was not in the wind after the wind, an earthquake-but the LORD was not in the earthquake, 12. after the earthquake, fire-but the LORD was not in the fire, after the fire, a light silent sound.  It is in the whispers that God is often heard therefore we often have to look harder for him. This past week for advent I decided to challe...