What Do You See?

Looking out the window of my study at the church I see what at first seems to be a somewhat dismal vista.  The sun can't break through the clouds, the colors of earth and sky are washed out, and a lonely crow stands vigil at the gate to the cemetery.  But as I write this, two other crows have appeared and I'm reminded of Jesus' injunction that where are two or three are gathered in his name, he is present.  Before the birds began to gather, I noticed that thanks to the cloud cover, I could actually look up at the sun, covered in a gauzy shroud that partially obscures but also protects my eye.  And then there's the frost, and the opportunity to contemplate the dazzling complexity of ice crystals and by extension God's creation.

What do we see when look at the world around us?  Advent is a time to ponder this question.  If we take our time and we focus and we open our hearts and minds to the Spirit, who knows what we may be blessed to see!