Advent

Advent … it’s this preparation time, this getting ready time for the coming of God among us embodied, in human flesh.  It’s about “getting ready for the birth, a bodily intrusion of the transforming power and presence of God.”  (Walter Brueggemann)

Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

So how do we ready ourselves?

In Advent we have these words … one word for each of the four weeks.  Hope. Peace. Joy. Love.  We get ready in this season by making room for these words that aren’t just words but living energies that are already seeded in our soul.  We strike a match … the light flares … we light a candle … and with this fire we say YES to the God-intrusion of HOPE, of PEACE, of JOY, of LOVE that seeks to shine out through us, be embodied by us.  

We get ready by being especially attentive to the ways we resist AND risk being a living expression of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

For this coming week, our word is HOPE.

I invite you into this exercise of personal examination by finishing these sentences:

I believe I resist being a living expression of hope when I __________________.

I believe I risk being a living expression of hope when I ____________________.

As a way of us joining one another in this exercise of personal examination, and contributing your voice to our service on Sunday, would you please send me your statements through the nifty form below by Friday noon.  Together we will offer these statements in our service on Sunday, without names attached.

Enter your answers here, anonymously on our nifty jotform: CLICK HERE

May we truly know something of the Spirit’s transforming presence this Advent.

Rev. Karen Dickey