Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings of peace, joy and hope to you. Happy new year!
I always love new beginnings: the clean slate, ‘His mercy is new every morning’ sort of thing. Help us to actually rest in THAT Lord. Your grace IS sufficient. Your power IS made perfect in weakness. You ARE finishing the good work you started in us. As we seek you, You ARE working everything together for good, even our fumblings and stumblings. God please give us eyes to see this in our own lives, and in the lives of our loved ones. Help us please to incarnate this grace for others in this gift of a new year.
I have been grieving the loss of my father and being away from family and friends this time of year. So I decided to take some proactive steps to prepare my mind and heart to celebrate Jesus’ birth. With a old tin plate, some candles and green tinsel garland I put together an Advent wreath that is “not too shabby”. My beloved grandmother used to have an Advent wreath, but growing up, I didn’t really know what it was. I want to somehow stay connected to her, and keep the tradition alive. The last couple of years I have done some reading about Advent and have found a treasure-trove of inspiring liturgies and reflections that have deepened my experience and celebration of Christmas. My friend David Bayne has been blogging about his Advent adventure if you are interested in finding our more. His blog has some links to other Advent sites as well.
http://www.wheresdavebayne.blogspot.com
Here is an Advent Poem that I really touches me.
Waiting
As Sarah waited…
Ninety years for a son to fulfill God’s promise
We wait in hope for what we thought had been promised to us
As Moses waited…
40 years in the desert being prepared by God to lead his people
We wait for emptiness and humility; for bravado to wither
As Israel waited…
40 years in the desert, hungry, depressed, thirsting, unsure
We wait for things to move on and generations to pass
As the prophets waited…
1000 years of promises that God would raise up a Savior
We wait for things to change
As Mary waited…
9 months of her 14 years for the child of God
We feel the birth pangs yet fear for the child
As John the Baptist waited…
Scanning the crowds for the one whose sandals he would not be worthy to untie
We long for an experience of the Divine
As Jesus waited…
30 years of creeping time
40 days in the desert of temptation
3 years in the midst of misunderstanding
3 days in the depth of hell
So we wait for God’s time
Preparing the way
Our turn to toil on leveling mountains and straightening paths
Our turn to watch the time horizon
Our turn to pass on the hope
the one who promised is faithful
and will come back
[Taken from: Alternative Worship (Baker, Gay, & Brown, 2003)]
Lighthouse and the Sierra Leone servant team is currently working through a Youth For Christ Bible study called Heart Transformation. So far it has been a great catalyst to revive our passion for Jesus, and seek him with undivided hearts. Please pray for us as we continue our pilgrimage during the next several months. Please pray that God would grant us clean hearts. Pray that we would love God and others more and more each day.
Know that I am thankful for you.
Love,
cami