Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Immanuel. God with us.
O good and gracious God,
this season is unlike any other we’ve experienced.
This year, we have found it difficult to give thanks.
Maybe it’s Covid, maybe it’s being far away from family,
maybe it’s the uncertainty that seems to loom over all of us...
Sitting down to give thanks only seems to magnify the sadness.
As we transition from a season of Thanksgiving
to preparing our hearts during Advent,
grief and gratitude seem to speak louder now
than in any other season of the year.
But Lord, there You are, ever-present and ever-faithful,
reminding us that grief and gratitude go hand-in-hand.
Grief is the voice that reminds us of perceived loss,
while gratitude is the voice that reminds us of what we have
and how much we’ve received.
We can feel them both with an equal amount of intensity:
one does not diminish the other;
one does not replace or overcome the other;
they co-exist in our human hearts.
Teach us, O Lord, to lean into both, and let each speak,
for as Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes,
the celebration of Advent is possible
only to those who are troubled in soul,
who know themselves to be poor and imperfect,
and who look forward to something greater to come.
And, Lord, yes, yes, we know we are imperfect.
If we are honest,
we admit that we would rather skip right past the preparation,
for which Advent is designed,
and move straight to the celebration.
We confess that our time of preparation
is generally more of a time
to prepare our houses than a time to prepare our hearts,
more of a time of shopping than of prayer,
more of a time of already feasting,
rather than a time of fasting, as a preparation for a feast.
We confess that, like the biblical innkeepers,
who had no room for Mary and Joseph,
we generally arrive at Christmas with “no room at the inn,”
no space in our lives for a spiritual rebirth.
But Lord, if this year has taught us anything,
it is this: we are ready for a spiritual revival.
As we juggle these voices and desires,
and seek to equalize the pressures of the world,
there You are, Lord,
reminding us that You are ever-present,
ever-faithful, ever-aware.
God, You are... here.
You are in our grief.
You are in our gratitude.
You are in our fasting.
You are in our feasting.
You are in our preparation.
You are in our celebration.
You are in our ruts.
You are in our revival.
You ARE.
These reminders alone
fill our hearts and allow joy to spring up,
for our hope is in You alone.
We yield our control to You, Lord.
We cast our cares and our anxieties upon You.
Our eyes are focused on who You are,
and the peace you freely give.
We pray these things in the name of the Coming One, Jesus the Christ, the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray by saying these words:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Immanuel. God with us.
O good and gracious God,
this season is unlike any other we’ve experienced.
This year, we have found it difficult to give thanks.
Maybe it’s Covid, maybe it’s being far away from family,
maybe it’s the uncertainty that seems to loom over all of us...
Sitting down to give thanks only seems to magnify the sadness.
As we transition from a season of Thanksgiving
to preparing our hearts during Advent,
grief and gratitude seem to speak louder now
than in any other season of the year.
But Lord, there You are, ever-present and ever-faithful,
reminding us that grief and gratitude go hand-in-hand.
Grief is the voice that reminds us of perceived loss,
while gratitude is the voice that reminds us of what we have
and how much we’ve received.
We can feel them both with an equal amount of intensity:
one does not diminish the other;
one does not replace or overcome the other;
they co-exist in our human hearts.
Teach us, O Lord, to lean into both, and let each speak,
for as Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes,
the celebration of Advent is possible
only to those who are troubled in soul,
who know themselves to be poor and imperfect,
and who look forward to something greater to come.
And, Lord, yes, yes, we know we are imperfect.
If we are honest,
we admit that we would rather skip right past the preparation,
for which Advent is designed,
and move straight to the celebration.
We confess that our time of preparation
is generally more of a time
to prepare our houses than a time to prepare our hearts,
more of a time of shopping than of prayer,
more of a time of already feasting,
rather than a time of fasting, as a preparation for a feast.
We confess that, like the biblical innkeepers,
who had no room for Mary and Joseph,
we generally arrive at Christmas with “no room at the inn,”
no space in our lives for a spiritual rebirth.
But Lord, if this year has taught us anything,
it is this: we are ready for a spiritual revival.
As we juggle these voices and desires,
and seek to equalize the pressures of the world,
there You are, Lord,
reminding us that You are ever-present,
ever-faithful, ever-aware.
God, You are... here.
You are in our grief.
You are in our gratitude.
You are in our fasting.
You are in our feasting.
You are in our preparation.
You are in our celebration.
You are in our ruts.
You are in our revival.
You ARE.
These reminders alone
fill our hearts and allow joy to spring up,
for our hope is in You alone.
We yield our control to You, Lord.
We cast our cares and our anxieties upon You.
Our eyes are focused on who You are,
and the peace you freely give.
We pray these things in the name of the Coming One, Jesus the Christ, the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray by saying these words:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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