Advent:  A Sense of God’s Holiness

O God and Father of our greatest Christmas gift, Jesus Christ, who came to set us free from our enslaved lives, hear us now as we seek a cleansing of our hearts and an alertness of our minds that we may worship thoughtfully and attentively—that we may think on those things which have virtue and praise.

As we weigh your words and seek their meaning for our lives, help us to understand and feel those things, those truths and gifts whose dimensions are beyond the adequacy of our words.

As we come to celebrate the mystery and majesty of Christmas this year, we are aware that reverence, a sense of the holy, and the realization of your presence, is made more difficult than it was for those who lived in the past.  The farmer plowing in his field, the fisherman spending nights on the open sea, the explorer battling his way through the jungle, and others at the mercy of the tides of nature, were more apt to sense the mystery and know their dependency on You than we whose world has become so technical.  Life tends to breed forgetfulness of the mystery which sent shepherds and wise men to Bethlehem, and yet, O God, we know in our saner moments we are foolish in our understanding.

So today help us to dream again, to become as little children that we may start over.  Help us to bring the majestic power of our Saviour to bear on the common burdens and problems of our lives—right where we are today.  Come and be formed in us while we worship.

And now, go out into the world in obedience to the Prince of Peace; have courage; hold on to what is good; return to no man evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak, feed the hungry; help the suffering; honor all men; love and serve the Lord; and rejoice in the power of His Spirit.

And the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.   Amen

email Van