Friday the Third Week of Advent
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"Save me, 0 God, by your Name; in your might, defend my cause. Hear my prayer,0 God; give ear to the words of my mouth." -Psalm 54:1-2
Prayer
Perfect Love,
you cast out the fear that infects our hearts
and in Christ's coming to vanquish the powers of division.
Help us who walk by fear to walk by faith,
that we may welcome friend and stranger in the love of your Son. Amen.
Reflection: MANURE
Do not be alarmed. Do not be afraid. Do not fear. Do not worry. These are all easy sentiments to hear, yet harder sentiments to live.
There is so much for us to be worried about in the world. We see the images of destruction, despair, and desolation caused by war, famine, and human greed. We live with the political division and desperation in our communities and our nation. We have every right to be alarmed and afraid. But God calls us, even in the midst of things passing away, to hold tightly to hope.
There is a fun story of an overly optimistic young boy, who on his birthday wakes up to find a giant pile of manure outside his bedroom window. He promptly runs downstairs with a huge smile on his face, grabs a shovel, and starts whistling and digging. One of his friends came by and asked, "What are you doing?" The boy looks up and says "I'm sure there's a pony in here somewhere!"
Sometimes underneath the manure is just more manure and sometimes there is a pony. But what Jesus' incarnation reminds us to do is to not worry, not be alarmed. There will always be wars, and rumors of wars, and tremors that will shake the foundations of the world and your faith in humanity. There will be death. There will be disaster. There will be all manner of things in this life to rattle your soul. There will be worry, anxiety, fear, hatred, racism, injustice, and terrorism. In Jesus there will always be hope, no matter how faint, no matter how fleeting.
Action
Feed others. Purchase extra canned good. Donate them to a pantry.
Tags: Advent 2023