November Staff Meeting Faith Formation

Based on “The Word Was Made Flesh,” pg. 7 of Out of the Ordinary by Joyce Rupp

As we calm our hearts and minds, let us begin our prayer with the sign of our faith.

On Sunday we began the first week of Advent, a time of preparation and waiting before we remember and celebrate the birth of Christ. All too often however, Advent becomes a time of preparation for other things.

We prepare lists of things to do;

We prepare lists of things to buy;

We prepare lists of names for sending greeting cards;

We prepare to decorate our homes, trim a tree, plan a Christmas dinner.

We spend hours of time in preparation, but preparation is also a time for anticipation.

We anticipate having a great holiday celebration;

We anticipate reunions with family and friends;

We anticipate the excitement in giving and receiving gifts.

Amidst all the preparation and anticipation, do we make time for waiting?

Waiting in quietness to hear God speak

Waiting in wonder to know Christ being re-born in us;

Waiting in silence to experience the Holy Spirit enfolding us.

As we continue in prayer, let us prepare, anticipate, and wait during this season of Advent so that we may welcome Christ into our homes and into our hearts.

I paused on a winter cold night and felt the beauty of the soft snowflakes upon my cheeks. I marveled at a presence more than mince in that moment of wonder. R.

I visited a dying woman in the hospital. I sensed her courage and her strength in the midst of great frailty. R.

I walked past a homeless man on the street. He help out an ungloved hand and asked me for coffee money to warm him in the cold. R.

I opened the newspaper and saw a photo of children killed in a bombing. Parents wept over them and soldiers stood nearby with their guns. R.

I went to a Christmas party and saw friends of long ago. We laughed and reminisced and enjoyed the moments we had known in years gone by. R.

I read a letter from a single parent who still has no work. She grieves over the little she can give her children and worries about their health. R.

I went to church today and sand the songs of Advent yearning, I turned my heart to the God who is always in need of a better dwelling place and I begged for transportation. R.

O Word made flesh, you came to dwell among us long ago. No matter how dull and lifeless, or how happy and fulfilling our lives may be, there is always need for a deeper awareness of your hopeful presence. There are signs of your coming, signs of your continued presence, everywhere in our lives. Freshen up our vision so that we can recognize your dwelling within us and among us as we move hurriedly in this busy season of the year. And may our lives be filled with love for all those who come our way.