Advent Prayer #4: A Song of Love

This fourth week of Advent, the procession of longing reaches a crescendo in love. The whole season of Advent is characterized by hope, by waiting, by longing. We remember Israel’s longing for the LORD’s anointed who was to be many things to many people. We remember Mary’s long wait as a vulnerable baby slowly grew in the safety of her womb. We remember the history of saints through millennia of hoping for the long awaited appearance of Jesus to put the world to rights, and we continue to form that history as we hope.

Advent Prayer #3: A Song of Joy

This third week of Advent, we rise above the surface and inhale the sweetness of joy. As we near the winter solstice and the nights grow longer and the days grow colder, joy can be hard to see. This year, as in all years, the fear for our futures, the ever-present suffering of the people of the world, and sadness for what could have been and what ought to be threaten to obscure the gifts God gives even in the midst of life.

Advent Prayer #2: A Song of Peace

The night is long, and we wonder where our hope has gone. This Advent, as in every year, we wonder how things could have gone so dark. The hoped for lover is still a hope, so we band together, because guarding against the terrors that wait in the night makes us feel alone.

This second week of Advent, we reflect on peace. Where in theory, we might hope in solitude for the future relief we seek, peace requires more of us. Peace is possible only when we make it, in the grace and power of the Spirit. Peace is possible only when we join together in forgiveness and grace. Peace is possible only when we guard not against others but when we guard the things that matter for us all.

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.

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 […]