You have not shut me up in the power of the enemy;
you have set my feet in an open place.
Psalm 31:8

In the late afternoon, I still have one work task to complete before I can call it a day. As it is something I can do from home, I pack up my things and head out into the cold. Really cold. At home, I make a pot of tea before I set myself to finish my work.

It is quiet, already dark outside, with a stillness that comes from the cold. I feel myself sink into a meditative space, where I am protected, shielded from disturbance. My mind is free to wander, to explore, to contemplate the poetry of the prophet Isaiah and the significance of John the Baptist and a single rose candle.

My heart swells. With gratitude for the stillness. With awe for the persistent invitation of the holy. With reverence for the wonder of God’s mystery.

This season offers so many ways in. Into the sanctuary. Into the midst. Into the glorious impossible, as Madeleine L’Engle used to say. God has set my feet in an open place, full of possibility and promise.