By Stephen M. Veazey
The Appalachian folk song, “I Wonder as I Wander,” captured my heart and imagination early in childhood. I don’t remember when I first heard it, but it’s been essential to my Advent journey for many years. It appeals to me because of its soulful music and soul-penetrating poetic phrases.
The notion of wandering and wondering under the stars as one reflects on Jesus’s birth and death seems to capture the main point of Advent. Pause, remember, reflect, and be open to the wonder of God’s love amid the luminous cosmos.
As a teenager, I began what became a personal Christmas tradition that continues today. Sometime before going to bed on Christmas Eve, I pause and gaze to the starry sky. When my eyes detect the brightest visible heavenly body, I whisper, “I see you.” That phrase, in my mind, includes, but is not limited to, designating a symbolic Christmas star. It expresses spiritual wonderment about the eternal love of God that always draws near and empties itself in human life and other aspects of creation. One can wonder and wander about such things without ever leaving home.
The notion of wandering and wondering under the stars as one reflects on Jesus’s birth and death seems to capture the main point of Advent. Pause, remember, reflect, and be open to the wonder of God’s love amid the luminous cosmos.
An extended experience of wandering and wondering occurred one summer. As young adults, my brother and I went backpacking deep into the expansive wilderness of Yosemite National Park. Amid mountains, rushing streams, majestic trees, and unpredictable wildlife, our experience was filled with awe, surprise, and astonishment.
One night we camped high on a massive granite outcrop overlooking Yosemite Valley. With no human light sources to interfere, the sky was filled with more stars than I ever had seen. And, at that elevation, it appeared the horizon was below us. We discovered that if we lay on a granite outcrop looking up, a vast sea of stars seemed to immerse us. It was a serious occurrence of wonderment! I think about that experience every Advent season.
Another element of the carol, “I Wonder as I Wander,” captures my attention each time I hear it. It’s the verse “for poor onery people like you and like I.” In moments of true wonder, when contemplating the love of God revealed in Christ, I find myself acutely aware of the human condition of which I am as representative as others.
“Onery” is not a term I hear much these days, but I am familiar with it from my Tennessee upbringing as part of the vernacular usually used to describe others. The term emerged as a contraction of “ordinary,” spelled as “ornary.” It meant commonplace or coarse. Its spelling evolved to “ornery” and its definition to mean stubborn, cantankerous, even, combative.
We discovered that if we lay on a granite outcrop looking up, a vast sea of stars seemed to immerse us. It was a serious occurrence of wonderment! I think about that experience every Advent season.
I guess each of us will have to determine for ourselves where or to what degree we fit within the meanings of “ornery.” The good news of this Christmas carol, forged deep in the mountains and valleys of Appalachia, is that no matter what, plenty of God’s love is revealed and incarnated in Jesus Christ for all of us!