Loving God,
there are times in each life
when there is no one.
No one with whom to share
a word,
a laugh,
a sad remembrance,
a gentle touch,
a fond embrace,
a kiss of love.
Bless each one who suffers
from such loneliness.
Enrich life with a friend
or gentle stranger
who will spend a moment
noticing
and loving.
In those times
your love shines through,
the world is reborn,
and Christ is known.
So be it!
Amen.
- Vienna Cobb Anderson
source: Adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson.

When John the Baptizer made his
appearance as a preacher in the desert
of Judea, this was his them: Reform your
lives. The reign of God is at hand!"
Mt. 3:1 Second Sunday of Advent

O Jesus, in an empty desert your
prophet John proclaimed: God is
here, at your side. God has come
to bring about a kingdom where
injustice and suffering will be no
more, where tears will be wiped
away, and where those who turn
to God will feast at a banquet.

"Turn now, your God is standing at
your side. Reform your lives, God's
kingdom is at hand." In an empty
desert John said these things.

Give me faith like John's, O Lord,
strong enough to believe even in
a desert that you and your kingdom
are no farther from me than my hand.
Make my heart strong like his, not
swayed by trials or snared by false
pleasures. Give me courage to be faithful
until your promises are fulfilled.

O King of all nations, Jesus Christ,
only joy of every heart,
come and save your people.

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be constantly
on the watch! Stay awake!...You do not know
when the Master of the house is coming.'"
Mark. 13:33 First Sunday of Advent

O Jesus, your voice sounds through the
house of my world: Be on your guard!
Stay awake!

Yet I hardly hear you. Busy with so much,
I go about the things I do like a servant
trapped in household routine, hardly giving
a thought to what my life is about. My
spirit within has grown tired and you, my
God, seem far away. How can I hear your
voice today?

Speak to my heart during this season of
grace, as you spoke to your prophets and
saints. Remind me again of the journey
you call me to make and the work you
would have me do. I am your servant, O
Lord. Speak to me in this holy season
and turn my eyes to watch for your coming.

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,
desire of every nation, Savior of all peoples,
come and dwell among us.

(When the Christmas Season gets to be
to much feel free to read this Reflection)

Scripture:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before
the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark; and they knew nothing about what would
happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the
other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;
one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come. But understand this:
If the owner of the house had known at what time of
night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch
and would not have let his house be broken into. So
you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
(Matthew 24:36-44,) NIV

Advent
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival."
The focus of the entire season is the celebration
of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent,
and the anticipation of the return of Christ the
King in his Second Advent.
Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most
churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the
fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the
Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas
Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is
counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with
Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.
The Spirit of Advent
Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of
anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is
a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the
world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in
Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression.
It is the cry of those who have experienced the
tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse
of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by
a God who has heard the cries of oppressed
slaves and brought deliverance!
(The Season of Advent Anticipation and Hope
by Dennis Bratcher)

Reflection:

You know to be perfectly honest with you, for me
the celebration of Advent is almost as exciting as
the celebration of the the birth of Christ (Christmas).
For me the anticipation of a great event, such as
Christmas, is really exciting. Ask yourself this,
"Are you excited about the birth of Christ, are you
excited about the Second Advent, the coming again
of Jesus Christ? Thats what these four weeks before
Christmas is all about. It is not about rushing around,
being stressed out, being angry, being frustrated, and
worrying about how we are going to get enough money
to buy those Christmas presents. The Christmas season
is about preparation, and anticipation of the birth and
second coming of Jesus Christ. Thats it! Nothing else.
During Advent we are celebrating the fact, as Christians,
we are no longer bound by the chains of the evilness of
the world, we have been delivered from sin and posess
eternal life, we are free in Christ Jesus. And with that
freedom we serve others, with that freedom we love all,
and with that freedom we experience the love of Jesus
Christ. Sit down now, relax and enjoy the Christmas
Season, experience the freedom and joy of serving
others because of your love of Jesus Christ. When you
can do this you are truly celebrating Christmas! Why
don't you start now.

Prayer:

God Bless Us One and All (Tiny Tim)

We gather today, Lord of abundant life, as grateful children.
Delighted and humbled by our bounty, we celebrate gifts of
food and shelter, of colors that dance at dawn and dusk; we
relish the scent of cooking foods, of burning leaves and
summer's wet grass, of snowflake, of animal fur. We
marvel at the intricacy of spiders' webs and fish bones, newborn
babies and lines etched on faces of grandparents come for a
visit today. All gifts from Your hand. When our meal is completed,
leftovers stashed, and naps taken, we will leave replete, energized,
and eager to go generously into the world and share our good fortune.
- Rev. Lynn James