Advent Prayer #1: A Song of Hope

Advent is a beginning. It serves to begin the church calendar, guiding God’s people in remembering the greatest gift we have received: God’s very self given to us in Jesus. The weeks leading up to Christmas help us to prepare our hearts, souls, minds, and strength to be the family of God, ready to receive our elder brother.

Every year, we begin again, for every year the nights are dark and the seeds of new creation have not fully blossomed. As a family, we turn to each other for hope, to remind each other why we wait and how to be the beacon in the darkness for the hopeless and the oppressed.

With Thanksgiving

This week, each year, my family joins with millions of other Americans to celebrate certain values, to be mindful of the good things in our lives, and to feast. We rejoice in unity and gratefulness. As I approach my practice of meditation this week, I feel drawn to the biblical book Philippians. There are several […]

Guided: Genesis Meditation

This is the first of several guided prayers and meditations I plan to develop using the insight I have gleaned from experts and gained from experience. From Christian contemplatives and secular neuroscientists, I have learned a lot about what is accomplished through meditation and prayer and how. I have learned some of the traditional forms of contemplative prayer, and I have learned what elements work toward a healthier, holier brain.

Sense You Every Moment

Men invent means and methods of coming at God’s love, they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of that love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God’s presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do […]

Advent Prayer for Christmas Day (Rev 21:1-7)

Merry Christmas! To honor and celebrate Jesus hand-in-hand with the rest of God’s people, I have been writing prayers each week through Advent. Now that Christmas Day has come, I want to incorporate even more of the contribution and worship shared by others in God’s church around the world and throughout history. I invite you […]

Advent Prayer #4 (John 2:1-11)

As Advent draws near its end, I am thinking and feeling greater joy in anticipation of Jesus appearance both in terms of eschatology and in the everyday as he reveals himself in his people and his creation. While I have no idea if writing these prayers has made a real difference for anyone else, I […]

Advent Prayer #3 (John 1:35-51)

This week of Advent has been a difficult one for many people. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow darker, our nation grieves and feels the sting of bitter loss too deep for words. This season of joy in Jesus’ coming and togetherness as families and as a people is shadowed by evil […]

Advent Prayer #2 (John 1:9-18)

I continued to meditate on John 1 this week, and as part of my worship this Advent season, and wanting to share, I have written this prayer looking forward and back to Christmas. I hope these words can help you as you center your spirit on Jesus this Advent season. As the church, we await […]

Advent Prayer #1 (John 1:1-8)

I wanted to share some prayers throughout the Advent season, and my first thought was to find prayers already written and join with the church in our worldwide conversation with God. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time finding anything quite like what I imagined. Instead I have chosen to meditate on John 1 and […]