Day 8: Rejoicing From a Place of Reality...

For tonight’s prayer, here is the second antiphon:

O Adonai and leader of Israel, You appeared to Moses in a burning bush and You gave him the law on Sinai.

O come and save us with Your mighty power.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s hight, in ancient times didst give the law in cloud, and majesty and awe:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

I long to have the wisdom to know, deep in my bones, that it is God who fills and holds the universe together in a strong and gentle manner. To know these things surely would change my own attitude about what strong means and how to exercise power. Surely it would change where I place my hope for change.

I long to remember rightly. That long before there was a pandemic (a mere blip in the course of history) God appeared in a burning bush and dispensed laws for living and loving well as a community. Surely this would change my focus of attention. My eyes would turn inward; my problems would be more about how I live and love than how others are living.

I long to rejoice. Rejoice from a place of reality. Rejoice in the midst of suffering. Accept suffering as part of life even as I seek to alleviate the suffering of others.

Day 8: Rejoicing From a Place of Reality...

For tonight’s prayer, here is the second antiphon:

O Adonai and leader of Israel, You appeared to Moses in a burning bush and You gave him the law on Sinai.

O come and save us with Your mighty power.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s hight, in ancient times didst give the law in cloud, and majesty and awe:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

I long to have the wisdom to know, deep in my bones, that it is God who fills and holds the universe together in a strong and gentle manner. To know these things surely would change my own attitude about what strong means and how to exercise power. Surely it would change where I place my hope for change.

I long to remember rightly. That long before there was a pandemic (a mere blip in the course of history) God appeared in a burning bush and dispensed laws for living and loving well as a community. Surely this would change my focus of attention. My eyes would turn inward; my problems would be more about how I live and love than how others are living.

I long to rejoice. Rejoice from a place of reality. Rejoice in the midst of suffering. Accept suffering as part of life even as I seek to alleviate the suffering of others.

Day 9: Tomorrow, I Will Come..

In the Celtic Advent tradition ancient prayers are used starting today through Christmas. There are seven “antiphons” - ancient chants or recitations. The exact origin of these are not known. They were used by the eighth century in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. These prayers are OLD.

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one, the Latin words ERO CRAS are formed.

ERO CRAS means - Tomorrow, I will come. This represents Jesus speaking to us, reminding us, granting us the joy of anticipation - Tomorrow, I will come.

Each one highlights a title for the Messiah and refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Here is the first one:

O Wisdom, You come forth from the mouth of the Most High.

You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner.

O come to teach us the way of truth.

O come, O come, Thou Wisdom from above; the universe sustaining with Thy love.

Thou springest forth from the Almighty’s mouth, subdue us now, and lead us in Thy truth.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Day 9: Tomorrow, I Will Come..

In the Celtic Advent tradition ancient prayers are used starting today through Christmas. There are seven “antiphons” - ancient chants or recitations. The exact origin of these are not known. They were used by the eighth century in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. These prayers are OLD.

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one, the Latin words ERO CRAS are formed.

ERO CRAS means - Tomorrow, I will come. This represents Jesus speaking to us, reminding us, granting us the joy of anticipation - Tomorrow, I will come.

Each one highlights a title for the Messiah and refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Here is the first one:

O Wisdom, You come forth from the mouth of the Most High.

You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner.

O come to teach us the way of truth.

O come, O come, Thou Wisdom from above; the universe sustaining with Thy love.

Thou springest forth from the Almighty’s mouth, subdue us now, and lead us in Thy truth.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Day 10: A Perspective of Gratitude

After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up,” the angel said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee. He settled in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 2:19-23 CEB

One of the things I particularly appreciate about the story of the birth of Jesus is the length of the narrative. Prophets had spoken details about the coming king; the life of Jesus fulfilled them. Oh how slow God is to act – in a good way! He is patient with the unfolding story.

I know this has been one of those years that we cannot wait to see finished. It helps me to read the story of Jesus and realize how small our perspective is with regards to life. Any slice of this story must have been experienced as exceedingly stressful in real time.

What if you set aside a bit of time today, and asked yourself: what if this year will someday seem like a great gift to me? What if the things I’ve learned will serve me well, and serve those I love, in the future? What if my suffering - as senseless and painful as it has been - might one day allow me to find a greater reason for living my life? These are not the questions to ask if one is in deep grief. For those in that place - these are not your questions. But for others, who are not grieving a terrible loss, these might be decent questions to consider as we wait for the birth of Christ.