Welcome to the ADVENT-ure 2012:
We will be posting an Advent Reflection each week of Advent in December. If you want to learn more, visit: http://theseed.ca/advent
Week 1 (December 2 - First Sunday of Advent – December 8)
An Advent Reflection:
Preparing the way:
One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV)
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.[b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.[b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The season of Advent is all about taking intentional time to remember the God who was, and is, and will come again. It’s about remembering his work and words on Earth, encountering His Spirit and presence here in our lives today, and it’s about preparing a way for Him while we wait on His return.
I love the verse from Isaiah, because it has so much imagery. It speaks of the wilderness. I often go through seasons in my faith where I feel lost in the wilderness, and in this verse a voice is calling out to me in that lost place and shouting, “prepare the way of the LORD” he is coming for you! The next image is of the mountains and the valleys, an image that resonates deeply with me through my work at the Mustard Seed. At the Mustard Seed we walk alongside the valley dwellers, and in Isaiah, I hear the promise that the valleys will be raised up and the mountains will be lowered all will be equal when the Lord returns. This imagery encourages me in my work as I attempt to create opportunities for mountain dwellers and valley dwellers to meet one another and from a relationship of solidarity, justice, and equality as we work to prepare the way for the Kingdom to come more fully here on Earth. The last part of this verse speaks of the glory of the Lord being revealed to all of us together. The glory of his Kingdom will be revealed to all. This image comforts me and gives me tremendous hope that one day, all of us will come to know his amazing love and justice!
May this advent season be one of preparing the way of the Lord in your own life. May you take the time to examine where there are valleys and mountains in your life and make them equal. If you are wandering lost in the desert or the wilderness, above the din of the holiday season, may you hear the voice of the Lord calling for you!
The winter can be a dark season. At times it might seem that our spirits even mimic the season, we may go through a tough “winter” season, and find rebirth as the “spring” reawakens our spirit in faithfulness. I will leave you with a final video, one of Bringing Light and finding renewal in dark times. http://vimeo.com/33949006
An Advent Invitation: (an idea for getting active during the advent season)
Where can you see Valleys and Mountains in your community? Can you work this advent season to level that bumpy area?
How can you be a light to others in the darkness? Think of people in your community that you can be a light to through a random act of kindness today.
The Mustard Seed has many opportunities for you to get involved today and throughout the season. http://www.theseed.ca/christmas.html - Check out the opportunities in your city to be involved with bringing the light of Christmas to the inner city.
Have you had an advent reflection of your own to share? Write a blog for us and submit it to: JenniferFast@theseed.ca to be posted on our blog.
Prayers for Advent:
This week, please pray for people in our community who are wandering in the wilderness, or lost in a desert. Pray that they would see a light this Christmas and hear the Lord calling out for them.
Please pray for all of our community members who sleep outside in the literal wilderness. Pray that they would be blanketed in safety and protection, and that one day soon the opportunity for a real home would become a reality for them.
A Prayer Excerpt from Common Book of Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals:
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us sing to the LORD: let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
May your justice be a light to guide us: and your mercy a help on the way.
Readings: Psalm 101:1-4 Isaiah 10:5-19 Luke 1:5-25
May your justice be a light to guide us: and your mercy a help on the way.
Sign up for our advent email list (paulacornell@theseed.ca) or follow our twitter feed (@mustardseedyeg) and our blog to receive a weekly Advent reflection focused on Justice, Poverty, and the reason for the season; Christ.
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