Eric Schnitger welcomes our advent season with reflections on simplicity. We’d begun this topic at our fall retreat, and Eric offers thoughts about how simplicity ties in with the advent theme of hope.

Eric opens with a beautiful quote by Michael Kofi, about how advent speaks about the future reign of Christ, when all will be made right, and how we can live in eager anticipation of that good news now; that justice for the poor and oppressed and mercy for all is what we hope for — and if not, then we need to break our hopes and form new ones; the promise that God will act to bring the reign of peace, even when we have lost the capacity to believe it.

Eric goes on to talk about the fact that simplicity is not simple.What is the goal in this? How simple are we called to be? How far from our comforts do we want to go?

He then addresses the question of “why this movement toward simplicity?” Jesus teaches that all the law and prophets can be summed up in two commands: love God, and love your neighbor. Simplicity can help us to create space to love God and love our neighbors.

Thirdly, Eric talks about simplicity as communally formed. So much of our lives are individualistic, and simplicity might press us into other communal ways of life, in all the threatening, vulnerable and frightening aspects of what that might mean: we might actually have to invite others into these generally private aspects of our lives.

And lastly, Eric talks about the life of Henri Nouwen, and his choices toward and writing about downward mobility.

In this time of understanding that our lifestyles are damaging those of the poor and vulnerable, and that the earth cannot sustain this — listen further as Eric thoughfully engages the call to love God and to love one another and our neighbors on this planet.

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Images: by Corita Kent