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This is another entry from the writing project.  One of my loving editors has requested I post this.  Hope you enjoy it!  Merry Christmas!  xo

ADVENT

The western commercialization of Christmas absolutely wears me out.  I really dig the family stuff, presents for our loved ones, even the decorations and traditions are awesome, but the excess and the over the top spending for the entire season and then our token dialing-in to the birth of the Christ on Christmas eve or Christmas day leaves me feeling very sad and restless in the season.  We spin so fast during the holidays, I wonder if we really slow down enough to get to the truth of what the fuss is really all about.  Today I offer an Advent Prayer taken from Richard Rohr’s booklet:  Preparing for Christmas.  The word “advent” means the arrival of a notable person, not what we seem to make it:  the arrival of a notable season.  The poetry in this prayer is beautiful and the truth is rich.  This is not the kind of wording I use privately or pray with publically.  But it hit my spirit and I wanted to share it with you.  Maybe this is the year that we push in deeper to the Christ.  O come O come Emmanuel!  Lets begin to focus our minds and our spirit to the magnificent truth that He came and still, every day, comes for us!

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.  Come, O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, you showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush and you gave the holy law on Mount Sinai:  Come, O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you; Come, O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, you [not the systems of this world] control at your will the gate of heaven:  Come break down the prison walls of death, O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:  Come shine on those who dwell in the darkness and the shadow of death.  O, King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of humankind:  Come and save these creatures you fashioned from the dust.  O, Emmanuel, God-With-Us, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people:  Come and set us free.  The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”  Amen.

So Mary gives birth to the child.  Shepherds nearby receive a visitation from the angel of the Lord.  He scares the bujeebers out of them, but they manage to gather themselves to hear his message: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And from there it was on!  It is good for us to dial it down enough to go back to the manger, to whisper softly and peek into those warm blankets to see the mysterious miracle all over again.  May this advent season be the richest, most memorable ever!  He has come!  Let the earth rejoice!  He has come!

-MDP-

Do you declare yourself sober and binge drink on the weekends?

Do you announce that you are clean and still use occasionally?

Do you profess high integrity, but only steal when you go into Walmart?

Do you project to everyone that you’re a truth-talker, but are still prone to lying, embellishment and exaggeration?

Do you say “I’m waiting on God to open the doors”, but in reality you are pressuring man to open the doors for you?

Do you tell a man or woman that you love them, but treat their kids (natural or spiritual) with contempt?

Do you tell a man or woman that you love them, but treat their parents (natural or spiritual) with contempt?

Are you willing to honor “the elders” at church or in the ministry, but you will not honor or prefer your work boss, parents,  spouse, family or peers?

When is a good time to defile?  When is jealousy & covetous attitudes ok?  When is judgment acceptable?

“GOD is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him.”  2 Chron 16:9, MSG

The good thing about spiritual government is that it is always engaged.  The problem with spiritual government is that it always engaged.  The smallest contradictions cut the deepest grooves in our spirit.  We can’t pick and choose when and where we’ll be full-time Kingdom.  Going at it with part-time effort is creating more problems for you than you’ll ever realize…until later.

-MDP-