Reflect
It’s important to remember that our Christian understanding of the world is that it is both a beautiful creation of God and a place marred by sin and the often wrongheaded ways of humanity. Christ was born into a dark world, sent by God to bring—indeed, be—light to the world. What in the world or in your personal life dismays you? What might be characterized as the “roaring of the sea and the waves” for you?
Pray
Jesus, we anticipate your birth with renewed hope and vigor.
Yes, the darkness is profound and seemingly all-enveloping,
but we trust in you to expel it from our hearts and our world.
We ask for you to fill our souls with light,
making us lanterns of faith, love, and peace.
As this holy season begins, we pray that our inner resolve to bear witness to your birth
carries over into our relationships with each other,
extending well beyond Advent and Christmas.
Amen.
Act
Identify a bruised relationship or a goal that has fallen by the wayside and commit to addressing that challenge before the Second Sunday of Advent.
