12.05.2025 | First Friday in Advent

Love Breaks Through: An Advent Morning in the Garden
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
— John 1:5
 
The world outside is freezing, even with the sun shining brightly in the blue sky above. The chill has settled into the Garden. Temperatures have hovered below freezing for days, and remnants of last weekend’s snowstorm still cling to the edges of things. What always surprises me is that even in this frigid stillness, there is life in the Garden. The green remains in the darkest, coldest times. Life breaks through. Love breaks through.
 
“See, I am doing a new thing… now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
— Isaiah 43:19
 
Love breaks through.
 
That was the thought that struck me this morning as I noticed a small touch of green poking through the leaves in the stump of the old tree. Even on the coldest day of December so far, life keeps going. Even when we feel so low we’re not sure we can rise again, love comes through. A little light breaks into the darkness and reminds us that this season, whatever it is, will not last forever. Love breaks through.
 
As I walk through the Garden on this frosty Advent morning, I’m struck by the stark beauty that remains. When I think of the Garden, I think of it in spiritual terms. This is my sanctuary. Working in the Garden is my prayer time. And yet, this time of year is more difficult. The cold sinks deep into my bones, and my arthritic hips and knees protest the season. Still, the Garden calls me, if only to gather fallen branches or check on the bird feeders.
 
“Hope does not disappoint us.”
— Romans 5:5
 
The Garden calls.
The cold will only last for a while.
The darkness will not linger forever.
The light is coming.
 
We wait in hope and in faith.
We believe, again and again, that love will break through.
 
Because Love always breaks through.
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