{"id":4475,"date":"2024-12-07T07:20:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T13:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/?p=4475"},"modified":"2024-12-07T07:21:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T13:21:04","slug":"a-poem-for-advent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2024\/12\/07\/a-poem-for-advent\/","title":{"rendered":"A Poem for Advent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the Christmas season now in full swing, there tends to be a strong focus on the joys of being young. This is notably displayed in the excitement our culture generates around shopping and gift-giving, particularly for children. Movies like Home Alone<\/em>, Elf<\/em>, and A Christmas Story<\/em> feature the idea of youthfulness prominently in their plots, and in some way or another, cast an adult or elderly person as the antagonist. The wonder and joy of Christmas, it would seem, is reserved for a particular age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Christians, we need to resist this inclination. One way we can preserve the sacredness of Christmas throughout all phases of life is to uphold our elders and the wisdom that often comes with the privilege of having lived many years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renowned poet Malcom Guite gestures in this direction with a particular poem in his Advent anthology Waiting on the Word<\/a><\/em> (Canterbury Press, 2015). The piece he directs us to is \u201cOld Age\u201d by Edmund Waller, a 17th century English poet and politician whose style was built upon later by Alexander Pope.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Old Age” by Edmund Waller: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The seas are quiet when the winds give o’er;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So calm are we when passions are no more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For then we know how vain it was to boast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of fleeting things, so certain to be lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clouds of affection from our younger eyes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conceal that emptiness which age descries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soul’s dark cottage, batter’d and decay’d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lets in new light through chinks that Time hath made:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger by weakness, wiser men become<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they draw near to their eternal home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That stand upon the threshold of the new.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Drawing from this poem, what follows are three ideas to stir up hope in Christ this Advent season, particularly as they relate to old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First, Waller compares youthful passions to the winds that stir up a rough sea. If you have ever been to the ocean or a large lake, you will know how quickly the water can become choppy as the winds pick up. In contrast, the seas become calmer as the winds dissipate and the water returns to a peaceful state. Similarly, youthful passions\u2013the enthusiastic hunger for pleasure, adventure, and exhilarating experiences\u2013certainly bring lots of excitement to life. But they also bring unpredictability and, at times, unsettledness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Advent season, we can easily get swept into the thrill and busyness of the season: listening to sentimental Christmas music around the clock, feeling the pressure to take advantage of the latest shopping deal, and attending as many Christmas parties as possible. But this poem prompts us to pause, slow down, and rest in the quiet. There is a deep and lasting joy to be found when life is slow and the day is unscheduled. Find times during this season to rest and meditate on the promises of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the poem cautions us against putting our confidence and pride in fleeting things that are \u201c…certain to be lost.\u201d Our culture\u2019s approach to the Christmas season is fleeting, practically, by definition. As Thanksgiving comes to a close, the shopping ads come out and the rush to put up Christmas lights begins. The next four weeks become a blur of activity that leaves most of us surprised at how fast it all went. One way we can put our confidence in the right things this Advent season is to set healthy rhythms of focus on lasting things. To be clear, I have no objection to gift-giving, decorations, and holiday parties. But the eternal things that will last with us this season will occur through deepening our walk with Christ and strengthening our vision and love for the beauty of the incarnation. What can you do each day to focus on things that will not be easily lost when this season is over?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Third, Waller observes that wise men become stronger through weakness. Most of us, I am sure, would express a desire to grow in wisdom. But less of us, I suspect, have counted the cost. For one sure way to grow in wisdom is to experience the humility of weakness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across time and place, the natural human condition has gravitated toward strength, honor, and success. But the truth is that moments of weakness and failure have the most impact on deepening our faith and shaping our character. We need only look to the God we worship, who became a man, entering the most helpless state as a mere infant. This Advent season, take time to reflect honestly on your weaknesses and ways in which God provided for you in those moments. Remember, as the apostle Paul reminds us, that Christ\u2019s power is made perfect in our weakness, and therefore, when we are weak then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amidst the noise, activity, and focus on youth, this short poem prompts us to consider a different approach. There is a joy that comes in the quiet, the peaceful, even in old age. As Malcolm Guite remarkes, \u201cHe (Waller) is realistic about weakness, but not bitter or resentful; rather he sees in the calm, and even the melancholy, the sense of emptiness that sometimes comes with age, an opportunity to God for a new wisdom\u201d (38).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Advent season, may we experience this for ourselves, and as we encounter our finitude, take joy in the \u201ceternal home\u201d for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the Christmas season now in full swing, there tends to be a strong focus on the joys of being young. This is notably displayed in the excitement our culture generates around shopping and gift-giving, particularly for children. Movies like Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story feature the idea of youthfulness prominently in their 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Atchison","author_link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/author\/kolbyatchison\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"With the Christmas season now in full swing, there tends to be a strong focus on the joys of being young. This is notably displayed in the excitement our culture generates around shopping and gift-giving, particularly for children. Movies like Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story feature the idea of youthfulness prominently in their…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa7K1D-1ab","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/09\/13\/review-of-wisdom-and-eloquence-by-robert-littlejohn-and-charles-t-evans\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":0},"title":"Review of Wisdom and Eloquence by Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans","author":"Patrick Egan","date":"September 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans. Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradign for Classical Learning. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006. In Wisdom and Eloquence Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans connect the classical tradition of education to a Christian outlook on the goals of education. Both Littlejohn and Evans are leaders and practitioners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An odeon of ancient Greek where wisdom and eloquence were expressed","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-Odeon-of-Herodes-Atticus.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-Odeon-of-Herodes-Atticus.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-Odeon-of-Herodes-Atticus.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-Odeon-of-Herodes-Atticus.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-Odeon-of-Herodes-Atticus.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3773,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2023\/05\/20\/why-classical-education-needs-a-theology-of-wisdom-a-foundation-for-wise-integration-in-the-modern-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":1},"title":"Why Classical Education Needs a Theology of Wisdom: A Foundation for Wise Integration in the Modern World","author":"Jason Barney","date":"May 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The modern world of education is characterized by the opposites of integration: isolation and reductionism. Colin Gunton, in the 1992 Bampton Lectures at Cambridge, entitled The One, The Three and the Many: God, Creation and the Culture of Modernity, uses the terms, \u201cdisengagement\u201d and \u201cfragmentation\u201d to describe the predicament of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Biblical worldview"","block_context":{"text":"Biblical worldview","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/biblical-worldview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_149.png?fit=1200%2C1004&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_149.png?fit=1200%2C1004&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_149.png?fit=1200%2C1004&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_149.png?fit=1200%2C1004&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_149.png?fit=1200%2C1004&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1247,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2020\/05\/23\/the-problem-of-scientism-in-conventional-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":2},"title":"The Problem of Scientism in Conventional Education","author":"Jason Barney","date":"May 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientism is precisely not a focus on the importance of learning all that we can about the natural world in school. This we applaud, and classical education has a lot to tell us about how we can teach our knowledge about nature, our scientia n\u0101t\u016br\u0101lis as the medievals would call\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Classical Tradition"","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"scientist performing experiment in laboratory","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Canva-Scientist-in-Laboratory-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Canva-Scientist-in-Laboratory-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Canva-Scientist-in-Laboratory-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Canva-Scientist-in-Laboratory-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Canva-Scientist-in-Laboratory-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":898,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2020\/02\/08\/rediscovering-science-as-love-of-wisdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":3},"title":"The Flow of Thought, Part 7: Rediscovering Science as the Love of Wisdom","author":"Jason Barney","date":"February 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In this series we\u2019ve been finding arguments for a classical education from the unlikely realm of positive psychology, particularly Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi\u2019s classic Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. After connecting the concept of flow with Aristotle\u2019s link between virtue or excellence and eudaimonia (happiness or flourishing), we\u2019ve been racing through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Classical Tradition"","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"scientist with chemicals in flasks","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Canva-Person-Holding-Glass-Flasks-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Canva-Person-Holding-Glass-Flasks-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Canva-Person-Holding-Glass-Flasks-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Canva-Person-Holding-Glass-Flasks-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Canva-Person-Holding-Glass-Flasks-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3477,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2023\/01\/14\/counsels-of-the-wise-part-3-the-practical-nature-of-prudence\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":4},"title":"Counsels of the Wise, Part 3: The Practical Nature of Prudence","author":"Jason Barney","date":"January 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In this series we are recovering several lost goals of education by exploring Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as replacement learning objectives for Bloom\u2019s taxonomy. Prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis) is one such lost goal, which is endorsed by the biblical book of Proverbs and the New Testament, even if Aristotle\u2019s exact\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Classical Tradition"","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/St_Johns_College_Chapel_Court_Cambridge_UK_-_Diliff.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/St_Johns_College_Chapel_Court_Cambridge_UK_-_Diliff.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/St_Johns_College_Chapel_Court_Cambridge_UK_-_Diliff.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/St_Johns_College_Chapel_Court_Cambridge_UK_-_Diliff.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/St_Johns_College_Chapel_Court_Cambridge_UK_-_Diliff.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/09\/28\/review-of-the-liberal-arts-tradition-by-kevin-clark-and-ravi-jain\/","url_meta":{"origin":4475,"position":5},"title":"Review of The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain","author":"Jason Barney","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain. The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education. Classical Academic Press, 2013. In The Liberal Arts Tradition Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain endeavor to set the record straight about what made up the course of study in the classical tradition of education.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Cathedral of the Liberal Arts Tradition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4475"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4483,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4475\/revisions\/4483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}