Advent

“Hush, Hush, somebody’s callin my name

                                    Oh my lord, oh my lord, what shall I do?”

 

 

Do you have any idea about what is coming in your life? How often do our lives take a turn that we never anticipated? And how do we respond to those changes? With acceptance and grace? With denial and resentment? Let’s look to Mary whose life took a huge turn when the angel told her that she would bear a great son, “called the Son of the Most High.”[1]

 

She asked: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[2] After the angel explained that “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,”[3] she responded. ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”[4] Acceptance, not resistance. Embrace, not resentment. A servant, not in charge.

 

These days as we walk through Advent together, may we stay mindful of God’s presence in our lives and how He is blessing us, how He would direct us to be and to do, and look to any unknown coming in the future as exactly what He has in mind for each of us. And live as we are, servants of God.

 

May we glorify the Lord with Mary:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.”[5]

 

May we walk in anticipation of what God will do in our lives knowing that He will meet our needs.

 

May we set aside all the merchandising and worldly celebration of Jesus’ holy birth in a manger, in a barn, where there was not even room at the inn. Oh, we can buy presents for our loved ones, but let us keep our minds on the coming of the baby Jesus into our lives again.

 

What will He bring to you and to me? What will He ask of us? What glories and challenges come with him?  All of us servants of the One God can embrace whatever comes, knowing and trusting in God’s gifts and compassion and grace.

 

As we walk through this month with the Risen Jesus, let us be aware of all that He might say to us, all that he has wrapped up specially for each of us. May we dwell in, may we rest in His presence at this Holy Time of the year. May we praise Him in advance for what He is going to do in our lives and then live in anticipation of, in the adventure of that happening.

 

What preparation do I, do we, need to make to receive this gift once again this year? For the Christ Child comes every year to bless us, to call us, to remind us that we are His. And we can start fresh again, leaving the past year and its challenges and joys to Him. And get ready to embrace the new year, the new chance, the hand He is holding out to all of us to begin again.

 

Let us embrace this season of joy to be realized, of a new birth in our lives, of a truth to be realized, of a babe to be known as He knows us.

 

I wish you all a beautiful, rich, welcoming spirit for this Advent season. I know that the Lord is just waiting to bless us with what He has designed for us to learn and to give. May we receive what He offers with love and thanksgiving! Amen.

 

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Questions to ponder over the week:  Are you experiencing something new in your life and are not sure what to do with it or with the person or event? Have you thanked the Lord for this gift and asked Him how He wants you to receive it? Are you pushing the new thing or person away? How do you usually respond to God’s gifts to you?  (Just answer the one(s) that call you.)

 

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Blessing for the week: May we be the people of God who welcome the Christ Child into our lives with great abandon. May we embrace all that the Lord would send to us. May we live in gratitude for all that He showers on us in love and grace.

 

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Check out my other website, deepeningyourfaith.com, for information about spiritual practices and more writings about the spiritual life.

I am collecting conversion stories. I am still not sure what the Lord’s intention is for collecting these, but if you would care to share yours, I would only use your initials to identify the author.

 

 

 

[1] Luke 1:26-38

[2] Luke 1:34

[3] Luke 1:35

[4] Luke 1;38

[5] Luke 1:46-48