It is the second week of traditional Advent, the 4th week of Celtic Advent. On Saturday I facilitated my Advent Quiet Day retreat. I really enjoy the opportunity it provides to interact with participants, to hear their their thoughts on the scriptures, poems and images that I use. It encourages all of us as we hear new perspectives on the story that can so easily become, just that, a story rather than a reality that changes our lives. This year I found some amazing images for us to reflect on and thought that you might enjoy them too. Mary and Eve – Sister Grace – Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance from Dubuque’s Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey; The Visitation of Theotokos to Elizabeth , Byzantine art-Lithography; Kelly Latimore – Refugees: The Holy Family; The Canticle of Mary Jen Norton; Our Lady of Everywhere – Mallory Rentsch. We are all such visually oriented people that it really helps u to have images to concentrating on while we are mediating.
For this 4th week of Advent I had planned to use “unexpected” as my word for the week. Instead I seemed to be focused on the world waiting. Ads I mentioned in my Meditation Monday – How Long Must We Wait? most of us feel that Christmas Day is coming very fast, and yet we know that once Christmas Day has passed, we will still be waiting and it seems so long, this in-between time between the promise and its final fulfillment. The length of the wait is unexpected, stretching and challenging too. Some of us have given up on the promises of God because of it. Others are filled with doubt and despair. All of us pray fervently for the fulfillment of what God promises.
This week we welcome Rev Bill Borror from Manchester Vermont into our writers circle. I was inspired by his words in his post Musings – Practicing Peace “we are Advent people who believe in the dawn of God’s coming kingdom. Because we live in the light of God’s revelation in Jesus, we can navigate the grey of human affairs. Through the “tender mercies” of God, we love all of God’s children, we mourn for all who die, we care for all who suffer, and we serve this world in the hope and the peace of Christ.”
In Freerange Friday: Advent As an Invitation to Community Lilly Lewin asks “Who is your Elizabeth? Who can you run to who understands who you are and where you are? Who is the person or people you don’t have to explain things to, they just know and understand you?” Such important questions to reflect on. June Friesen in The Empty Stocking provided us with another beautiful invitation. One Christmas a friend lost a dear one and June suggested they put up an empty stocking with the others with the name on it. Then each day during the advent season put a note or slip of paper in it of a special memory or short prayer. On Christmas day when other stockings are being emptied and enjoyed empty the notes and if you choose read them together as a family or read them silently. Elaine Breckenridge in St Nicholas – Love in Action, provided us with a rich introduction to the historical St Nicholas and suggested that in honor of St. Nicholas this year, we accept the invitation of Christ to perform some act of loving kindness for another in need, be it a financial gift or some other act of charity.
This morning I uploaded another litany, this one for the third week of Advent. I hope you enjoy it. You might also like to check out some of the Christmas prayers that have been posted on Godspacelight in the last few years – some wonderful prayers from Maya Angelou, John O’Donohue, Howard Thurman, Madeleine L’Engle and many others.
I appreciate your prayers this week as I work to get the details for upcoming podcast: Liturgical Rebels finished so that we can begin recording next week and hopefully make the first podcast episodes available in January. This is a fun project but much more work than I expected.
Lord Jesus Christ
Grant me patience,
as you are patient.
Waiting, hoping, expecting,
Never forcing.
Lord Jesus Christ
Grant me kindness,
as you are kind.
Generous, compassionate, gentle,
always overflowing.
Lord Jesus Christ
Grant me love,
As you are loving.
Trusting, enduring, self sacrificing
Ever delighting in truth.
Lord Jesus Christ
Grant me your life,
As you would have me live
Journeying into wholeness,
Towards your eternal world.
Many blessings
Over the years we have gathered resources – prayers, liturgies, meditations, reflections, books – to help you engage in more meaningful seasonal celebrations. Go to our resources page for Advent, Christmas, New Year & Epiphany.