Gentle One, who is born in the uncluttered places of our lives,
Widen our Advent waiting with silence. Broaden our hearts with peace and patience. Bless those who lead us to your stable. Give us courage to receive the unexpected and foreign gift of your Presence this day and always. Amen.
Messenger of Love, whose whispers often go unnoticed,
Help us to stop and listen for you. Remind us that this gift, of attending to your Presence, allows ourselves to become lighter and more joy-filled. Don’t let busy-ness prevent us from the reality that we truly have all the time we need to be aware what is going on around us, and so recognize the real Presence of your Love. And each time we encounter the fullness of your Love, our voices are transformed to be messengers for your world, to whisper your love to others with simple acts of kindness. Amen.
Mysterious One, who captures each moment for eternity,
Let the silence deepen revealing your creative love. Help us to focus on what appears beyond ourselves. Cast aside any fear to make space for trust. Loosen our grip especially in the darkness. Fill us with forgiveness toward all that rejects You, especially when that happens to be our own heart. Lead us with the peace of your Presence so that we find you in the glorious landscape of our lives. Amen.
Light of Glory, who illuminates each dawn with fresh hope,
With this breath, purify us with the quiet calm of your Presence. Help us to accept whatever might be confining or limiting in our lives. Melt away anything that keeps us from remembering our true identity. Move us through the darkness of this season shining light on each blessing, especially in those places that seem cold and empty. Make Advent happen in us. Amen.
Hope is not wishful thinking, it is not wanting things to turn out a certain way. Hope is accepting all that is here and responding in trust for the future. Mary is our symbol of hope this season. Mary openly received the direction to head down an unknown road. She was affirmed through the messengers sent to join her on the way. She continued on, knowing that Joseph and Elizabeth were aware of all that was happening within her.
Hope is strengthened through sharing with others. Joseph held Mary’s hand the whole journey long, himself hoping for what was ahead. It was not easier or more comfortable, their questions was not answered immediately.
In fact, I am not sure you can have hope without vulnerability. What are you hoping for? Who is holding your hand? What is affirming you as you respond? These are the questions of the season.
We are not merely to survive this season. Hope is here.
The season of Advent is upon us. This is a season of waiting. As we wait,
we watch. We seek God’s active presence coming into the world. Maybe we are watching world news and want to see peace. Maybe we are waiting with a sick relative and want to see healing. Perhaps we are waiting with children and want to see love open wide in family life. Some of us wait by ourselves,
looking for a glimpse of Jesus coming toward us.
Waiting and prayer have a lot in common. Waiting is not inactive. We wait
with an openness to respond. We wait with a heart ready to help. We wait to
have God move us to share love. Christians most often have the dilemma
between choosing between two good options. Maybe this year we need to choose an option that helps us admit we need God to accomplish it. Maybe we need to choose to do the thing that moves us to more fully experience God’s presence and power at work in our lives. Maybe this is what it means for Christ to come again.
Janet Salbert 