The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. A Prayer for Peace on Christmas Eve On Christmas eve day, we offer gratitude for our experience of Advent. No matter how much or how little we did compared to what we had planned, we recognized the season of Advent as a time to… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 24, 2022
Tag: Advent 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 23, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. Henri Nouwen says about the importance of patience, “A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the fullest in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 23, 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 22, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us of our dependence on God and tells us not to worry. In a verse that never ceases to get my attention, Jesus asks, “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” (Mt 6:27) Jesus tells… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 22, 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 21, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. The beginning of Luke’s gospel contains many descriptions of people who wait. Zechariah and Elizabeth wait for a child (Lk 1:5-25), the angel Gabriel appears to Mary at the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38), and the angel appears to the shepherds to tell them of the… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 21, 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 20, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. We constantly hear the message that our life is ours to control. With enough planning and effort, we can make things happen according to our plan. We’re not supposed to let life just happen. But when we’re waiting, we’re in an in-between time when… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 20, 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 19, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. If we’re impatient, demanding answers to our questions before we’re ready to understand or act on the answers, we may not learn what we need to know from the process of waiting. Rainer Maria Rilke, an Austrian poet, offers this perspective, “Be patient toward… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 19, 2022
Advent Week 4 – December 18, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 4: Peace. We’re now entering the final week of Advent, lighting the remaining purple candle in our Advent Wreath. This week, I’ll explore what Advent can teach us about finding peace as we wait. Peace can be frustratingly elusive in our busy lives. Sometimes we feel… Continue reading Advent Week 4 – December 18, 2022
Advent Week 3 – December 17, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 3: Joy. A Prayer for Comfort and Joy Our life this Advent may not be overflowing with Christmas joy. Our waiting may weigh heavy on our hearts, even as we hope for the joy of Christmas to wipe away the hard feelings of waiting. But denying… Continue reading Advent Week 3 – December 17, 2022
Advent Week 3 – December 16, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 3: Joy. Archbishop Tutu offers this observation on the nature of joy, “We are fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of joy.”1 This quote comes from The Book of Joy, written after the Archbishop learned that… Continue reading Advent Week 3 – December 16, 2022
Advent Week 3 – December 15, 2022
The Wisdom of Advent – Learning to Wait Week 3: Joy. The “comfort and joy” song (as I call it in my mind, rather than the awkward title “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”) is one of my favorites this time of year. For some reason, the juxtaposition of those two words is compelling. Each word… Continue reading Advent Week 3 – December 15, 2022
Falling Up After 50 