Week 3: Be Amazed
Thursday Dec 21
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
Matthew 1:18-23
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, God is with us.” (Matthew 1.23)
A prayer from Sarah Bessey
Almighty One,
I used to approach You/Thou
With formal language or recited acronyms,
Bless my own heart.
Now it’s nice to simply be us,
Together,
Isn’t it?
God in our bewilderment and grief,
God in our wordless prayers and our persistent fears,
God in our exhaustion and anger,
It’s good to know you’re here, too.
God of our curiosity and wonder,
God in our joy and comfort,
God in our patience and kindness,
God in our rising up and renewal,
It’s just good to know you’re here.
I’ll bring everything I am to you,
None of it is a surprise, I know.
I don’t need to pretend to be less
Angry, disappointed, scared, sad
Joyful, hopeful awake, or alive.
Emmanuel, God with us,
It’s your very with-us-ness
That gives us permission to pray
As fully human,
Fully beloved,
Fully known.
You’re here, and always, then, now, forever,
It’s just good to remember this again.
It’s just good to know you’re here
With us, still, always.
I invite you this Advent season to believe that Emmanuel is here with us, still, always. I invite you to notice the presence of God with you, for you, and in your ordinary life. I invite you to meet God just as you are, fully human, fully beloved, and fully known. I invite you to become a co-participant with God and with others, to be a friend to the people with the least amount of power, to speak up when necessary and hush when that’s a better option.
Life hurts right now. Life seems messy and sad. I don’t know what to do about most of it. I’m just going to do my best, and trust that God is here with us, still, always. I invite you to do the same.
Memory Passage
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
— Isaiah 11:6
Weekly Practice
Go on a walk in a familiar place. As often as you can, stop and look up. Pay attention to details you usually miss.
Spend time looking at the night sky and stars. Offer a prayer of gratitude to God.
Look back at the list of joys from Week Two. Do something on that list!