By Kristina Marenic
On December 13, Croatians plant wheat seeds in a shallow bowl. The wheat sprouts — several inches tall by Christmas — symbolize rebirth in Christ and are often the central decoration at the holiday dinner table.
Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness. I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump" [Isa. 11:1].
Henri J. Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal.
Christianity Today Advent Calendar compiled by Susan Wunderink
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