My Advent Prayer for You

December 16, 2014

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

To round the corner and head down the home stretch toward Christmas, we have to pass through December 21.  That is the date of the winter solstice, when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky in relation to the northern hemisphere of the earth.  This means that December 21 has the shortest period of daylight, and the longest period of night, in the entire year. 

That’s the astronomical explanation; the reality is that many of us have been encountering many long nights throughout this Advent season.  It is hard for many to begin to experience the “happiest season of all” when we are immersed in more stressors than we can count. 

Many of those difficulties emerge out of our frail and bruised relationships with others.  The holidays, for all of their festivities and good cheer, tend to amplify our most deeply hidden fracture lines with others, and intensify the sore spots that we try to conceal throughout the rest of the year. 

We remember that even Jesus himself was born into a dysfunctional family. His mother bore the scandal of a pregnancy out of wedlock, and his father was the subject of public scrutiny. Even Jesus’ ancestry is a roll call of the scandalous and malfeasant, including a foreigner, a liar, a prostitute, and an adulterer. We might even come to the conclusion that when it comes to the Christmas story, there is no such thing as a “normal” family at all!

It is in this context that I once again offer a pastoral prayer for you and for any one struggling with long nights and weary souls.

An Advent Prayer for Healthy Relationships

O God, in whom we live and move and have our being, and who fashioned us in your image to be in relationship with you and others, we thank you for the coming gift of Jesus, whose Advent we anticipate once again. 

As daylight dwindles and the darkness grows, we acknowledge to you the frailty of our relationships with one another.  We confess that, despite your desire for wholeness and health, we have not been kind to one another.  We are far too prone to anger and bitterness, rather than peace and joy.  We are an imperfect reflection of your self-giving love.

As Advent people, we yearn for healing, and long for hope:

·      For every household filled with chronic anger and endless disputes, illumine neglected faults, in a spirit of new understanding and peace.

·      For every gathering of family and friends that bring to light concealed dysfunctions, and verge on eruption because of the fault lines of past hurt, pour out your spirit of confession and forgiveness.

·      For every family dealing with the haunting influences of addiction, substance abuse, and mental disease, grant your spirit of courage and compassion, to be bold in truth and generous in love.

·      For every marriage troubled by unfulfilled expectations and chronic miscommunication, grant your spirit of understanding and empathy. Rekindle within them an awakening of boundless, unconditional love.

·      For every set of siblings long plagued by resentment and unhealthy competition, rather than mutual encouragement, grant a new spirit of peace and cooperation.

·      For every parent disenfranchised from their children, distanced by resentment and wounded by past scars, grant new insight and the power of reconciliation. 

·      For every person whose ongoing grief for lost loved ones skews this season of joy into a time of sorrow, grant the comfort of your constant presence. Remind these persons that in your being, the bonds of love never end.

·      For every young family adjusting to new life with a child, and negotiating new ways to relate as a family in the midst of transition, grant a spirit of child-like wonder, and a desire to mature.

·      For every couple struggling with infertility, in the midst of a season based on the birth of a Child, grant a spirit of hope, and the reminder that they are not without ability to provide other enduring legacies of love.

·      For those who face this season alone – widows and widowers, divorcees, single adults, and the elderly - grant a spirit of companionship, and surround them with new friends and cohorts on their journey.

·      For those who live in the shadow of their own mortality, in fear of their own death and disease, offer a reminder that you are the source of all life, encouraging them to embrace their lives and the lives of others with courage, unafraid of joy and pain, sickness and health. May your love be made real in our care for others.

O God of hope and promise, you revealed your power in the self-giving love of Jesus, whose birth in lowly means exemplifies your call to servanthood and humility. May we, in the strength of your spirit, receive the gift of your son, living out his image in all that we say and do. May this season truly be one of preparation, that our hearts, minds, and souls may be awakened to a hope that brings holiness, for ourselves and the people we love. Enliven us by your spirit, that we may live in the fullness of your reign.

In the name of Immanuel, your presence among us, we pray,

Amen.

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVegaSt. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org

To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit  http://mdevega.blogspot.com. 

To unsubscribe from this e-mail distribution list, please reply to this e-mail and write "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.

Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/cherokeespumc.