Fourth Sunday of Advent Prayer :: Advent Bidding Prayer

A prayer of intercession for the end of Advent (or Christmas Eve) when all four Advent candles (hope, peace, joy, love) have been lit.

Holy One, be the light in our darkness tonight.
As we have lit the candle of hope,
we pray for those who feel hopeless . . .

As we have lit the candle of peace,
we pray for all victims of violence . . .

As we have lit the candle of joy,
we pray for those whose hearts are weighed down by sorrow . . .

As we have lit the candle of love,
we pray for those who do not feel loved,
for those who struggle to love others . . .

Holy One, be the light in our darkness tonight,
that we might reflect your light into the dark corners of our world. Amen.

Taken from: http://re-worship.blogspot.com.ar/2012/11/prayers-of-people-advent-4.html
Written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith blog: http://spaciousfaith.com/   

Advent Pilgrimage

“The ancient practice of pilgrimage beckons us to find the places of connection between the terrain inside us and the topography around us, whether it’s the landscape of the natural world, or of a story, or of a season. Pilgrimage calls us to give ourselves to the terrain that we may find foreign or unsettling and to open ourselves to the sacred and surprising places that it holds. Altered by our engagement with these places, we are able to reenter the familiar territory of our lives and see it with different and deeper vision.”
 ~ Jan L. Richardson (Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas, “Door 10: The Pilgrim’s Coat”)

First Sunday of Advent :: Readings, Reflections & a Candle Litany

Scriptures readings for the first Sunday of Advent from New Revised Common Lectionary: HERE

A couple Advent reflections worth checking out this first week of Advent…
"Advent/Darkness" by Christena Cleveland

“Tireless Hope” by Andrew Ulasich


Candle Litany for Advent

God our life and our breath.
We witness your coming
In the humility of service,
The poor and marginalized,
The new born child,
In the heart of each person we meet,
And in the beauty of all creation.

We watch, wait and witness the mystery of your conception in us,
(The candle is lit)
We are waiting
We are watching
We are witnessing

~ Taken from:
http://re-worship.blogspot.com.ar/2014/11/advent-candle-litany.html
Originally posted by James Hawes, on Sunday Papers. http://www.sundaypapers.org.uk/

Advent 2014 :: Coming Soon...

Advent begins in just two weeks on Sunday, November 30. I always find it helpful to consider how I will make space for the season beforehand. There are so many meaningful and rich Advent resources out there that it helps to narrow down which ones will be most helpful beforehand. Instead of posting my own list of online Advent resources, I will point you to Christine Sine’s blog, Godspace. She has already posted her annual list...HERE. Or you can check out my resource guide from last year...HERE.

Christine Sine's annual Advent series is always worth keeping up with. This year it is titled, “Who Will You Invite to the Manger?”.

Instead of posting online resoures, I will share several Advent books that I have enjoyed over the past several years. Most of them are available in Kindle format.  You can click on the book title to learn more about the book.

A Journey toward Home: Soul Travel from Advent through Epiphany 
By Christine Sine & Kristin Carroccino
Speaking of Christine Sine, this new guide to Advent was just published and includes reflections from a wide range of people.

Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas
By Jan L. Richardson
I really enjoyed this book last year and plan to use it again this Advent. Jan Ricardson has another Advent book called “Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas.” She also offers an online Advent retreat that you can check out HERE.

Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent 
By Enuma Okoro
This book focuses on waiting and longing of Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Monastery Journey to Christmas
By Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette
I purchased this book a few years ago and it quickly became a favorite!

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas
This is a great compilation of readings from both classic and contemporary writers. An Advent classic!

Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year
By Malcolm Guite
A book of sonnets and poetry for the liturgical year that begins with Advent.

“O Antiphons” Begin December 17

Since the eighth century the O Antiphons have been used by many liturgical Christian traditions during vespers the last seven days of Advent (December 17-23). These O Antiphons became the basis for the popular Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

“Their predominant theme is messianic, stressing the hope of the Savior's coming. Jesus is invoked by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah. The sequence progresses historically, from the beginning, before creation, to the very gates of Bethlehem….In their structure, each of the seven antiphons follows the same pattern, resembling a traditional liturgical prayer.  Each O Antiphon begins with an invocation of the expected Messiah, followed by praise of him under one of his particular titles. Each ends with a petition for God's people, relevant to the title by which he is addressed, and the cry for him to ‘Come’.”
(Jeanne Kun, “Praising the Names of Jesus: The Antiphons of Advent”)

You can read the entire description of the “O Antiphons” by Jeanne Kun...HERE.

A couple years ago I posted an “O Antiphons Litany” for Advent on the Prayers and Creeds blog. You can check it out...HERE.

Other Resources:
Extended liturgies for the O Antiphons

The Antiphons of Advent (Readings & meditations for each day)

Contemporary translation on Everyday Liturgy 

Merry Christmas!

Shepherds. James B Janknegt, 2011. 

Taken from: http://adventinart.org/

Prayers for Advent

This will be my fifth year posting weekly prayers on Prayers & Creeds. This year I am posting prayers that go along with the Revised Common Lectionary each week of Advent. Each week also includes a link to Art that goes with the readings. You can check it out here:
Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Advent

Below the prayer links some of my favorite Advent prayers posted in years past. Just click on the prayer title...

Advent Prayer by Ted Loder

O Antiphons – An Advent Litany

Awaiting the Christ Child ~ Esperando el Niño Jesús

Advent Prayer for Hope

Prayer for Welcoming Advent

Advent Collect for Southern Hemisphere

Advent Prayer from Walter Brueggemann

Advent Prayer from Henri Nouwen

Awaiting the Christ 

Hope Revived

The Advent Desert

"The desert is not a place of isolation, but one of encounter."

~ Andre Neher, 1988

As my calendar year of Patient Trust draws to a close, it is appropriate to also begin the new liturgical year with a posture of patient waiting during Advent. The below Advent reflection speaks to the posture and attitude (and work) of the Advent desert we may experience. Personally, I’d mush rather experience a warm and fuzzy Advent season. But, it is in the hard desert places where our hearts are open to prepare the way of the Lord to enter more fully into our lives in deeper ways. This is the patient trust I hope to be attentive and open to this Advent season.

“…From John the Baptist we learn the desert is a place for cleansing, for conversion, for fasting, for silence, for self-discovery, and ultimately for healing. It is a place to let go of our multiple earthly attachments, making room for the Lord by allowing God to enter fully into the innermost of our lives, yes, of our broken lives in utter need of his compassion and healing. 

The desert is also the place for pursuing the ‘patient waiting’ attitude that God demands from each of us. This patient waiting attitude is similar in many ways to that of ‘patient endurance’ counseled by the Apostle Paul. It demands true patience, and it also means hard work. This patient waiting attitude is inspired by deep faith and trust in God, and is the work of constant prayer under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. During this time of patiently waiting for the Lord’s arrival, he asks from each of us complete trust and openness to his particular designs for our lives, complete and total cooperation with that which he wishes to accomplish in us. When Christmas, the Lord’s day, arrives, we shall then discover the truth of God’s prophetic words: ‘The wilderness and the parched land (of our hearts) will exult; the Arabah (desert) will rejoice and bloom.’”

Taken from: Monastery Journey to Christmas
By Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette

Advent: Dream Big and Imagine Wildly

“The hard work of Advent reflection and waiting is mingled with the gift of time and space to dream new dreams, to bathe in pools of hope, and to stretch the canvas of our imagination wide enough for God to paint God’s own visions for our lives. Advent is a season for our imagination to run wild as we contemplate a God who becomes human. We are given a wider glimpse of God when we allow Advent to be an invitation to dream beyond our comfort zones of what we think can happen in our lives and what God can do. In Advent we receive four weeks to dwell on what God’s vision might be for us and for those we touch. Four weeks to dwell on how the courage of expanding our imagination might feed into the growing kingdom of God. Four weeks to gather our wits about us for another year; preparing our bodies, minds and spirits to receive the Christ child and take him out into the world for others to see and praise, worship and obey; the Christ with whom we dream big and imagine wildly.”

Taken from the Preface of Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
By Enuma Okoro

Advent: A Brief History

This Advent I am once again using a book of meditations and reflections titled, Monastery Journey to Christmas. by Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette. The book begins with a very helpful history of Advent in the Christian East and West from as early as 330 AD. The author says, “In appearance, the Advent liturgical traditions from the East and the West may seem to differ in certain aspects and practices, but deep down I find they complement and complete each other in the one and common celebration of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord and Savior.”

To read this entire history of Advent, click here…
Advent: A Brief History

Advent 2012 Resources & Links

This year the first Sunday of Advent arrives the week after Thanksgiving….next Sunday, December 2. I am a little behind, but here is my annual blog post of resources and links in preparation for the Advent season.

For those of you who have followed my blog in Advents past, most of the links below will look familiar. I will pass on additional resources and links as I discover them. Just click on the link title...

CRI/Voice - The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope
This is a helpful introduction and summary of Advent.

Christine Sine’s annual Advent meditation video for 2012
“Alleluia, The Christ Child Comes

GodSpace Blog
This Advent Christine Sine will host a blog series, “Let Us Wait as Children Wait.“ It will include blog posts and reflections from a variety of contributors.

Ignatian Spirituality Advent Resources
This page includes a variety of resources, including an Advent Retreat booklet based on Ignatian contemplative and prayer practices.

Songs for Advent
A couple years ago I discovered this Advent worship digital download. It quickly became a favorite!

Book of Common Prayer Daily Scripture Readings for Advent 
(Year One)

Revised Common Lectionary Sunday Scripture Readings for Advent
(Year C)

Praying Advent
Creighton University’s Online Ministries offers a selection of materials to help people prayerfully enter into Advent, from short prayers to longer reflections and retreats.

Work of the People
This is a website of visual media and videos that I have explored throughout the year. It also includes some Advent videos.

Sojourners Top Ten Advent Resources

And Some Books...
The following are a few Advent books that I have used in the past or will be using this year.

Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent 
By Enuma Okoro
This was just published this year and focuses on waiting and longing of Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Monastery Journey to Christmas
By Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette
I purchased this book last year and it quickly became a favorite!

Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas
This is a great compilation of readings from both classic and contemporary writers.

Waiting for the Light: An Advent Devotional
Christine Sine & Mustard Seed Associates have put together a book of reflections, liturgies, and prayers posted on Godspace blog in years past.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Today we pray the final of the O Antiphons….O Emmanuel, God with Us, Come! 

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people. Come and set us free, Lord our God

“This last Veni, the final O Come, summarizes our entire Advent journey: its prayer, longing, and constant yearning for salvation. Come, Lord, set free the people whom you love. This last verse of the antiphon gives the necessary incentive we need for the last miles of our journey. A little bit longer, and then tomorrow his glory shall be revealed to us! “Veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Dues noster.” 

A Monastery Journey to Christmas by Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette

O Emmanuel (December 23 entry)

The O Antiphons became the basis for the Christmas carol, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Today I posted the lyrics on Prayers & Creeds…HERE.

Here’s my favorite version of the hymn from “Advent Songs” by Sojourn Music…

Waiting for the Light

This Advent I have been enjoying the new book, Waiting for the Light: An Advent Devotional. Christine Sine & Mustard Seed Associates have put together this book of reflections, liturgies, and prayers posted on Godspace blog in years past. I am using the e-reader Kindle version. You can check it out HERE.

The below prayer is an excerpt from a liturgy in the book for the second week of Advent, “Seeking or Expecting.”

God who created from nothing all that we see around us,
Enter the searching places of our hearts,
Search us, convict us, change us. 
God who invites us to draw from the wellsprings of life,
Come into the dry and thirsty places of our lives,
Fill us, transform us, dwell within us. 
God who extends to us the unforced rhythms of your grace,
Open within us a place where you can dwell,
Restore us, refresh us, renew us. 
As we seek to move close to you during this Advent season,
May our searching hearts expand our understanding of you,
Live in us, love through us, glorify yourself.

Advent Waiting

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 Saviour
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
Compiled by Jenny Baker, Doug Gay & Jenny Brown (Baker Books 2004)

Advent: A Brief History

This Advent I am using a new book of meditations and reflections titled, “Monastery Journey to Christmas.” Over the past few years I have enjoyed other prayer and meditation books from the author, Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette.

The book begins with a very helpful history of Advent in the Christian East and West from as early as 330 AD. The author says, “In appearance, the Advent liturgical traditions from the East and the West may seem to differ in certain aspects and practices, but deep down I find they complement and complete each other in the one and common celebration of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord and Savior.”

Instead of posting the few paragraph history from Brother Victor-Antoine here, I have posted it on a new supplement blog I recently created, “Quotations & Stuff.” I will use this blog to post lengthier quotes, liturgies and writings that might bog down this blog. This supplementary blog is a work in progress, so bear with me.

To read this history of Advent, click here…
Advent: A Brief History

Prayers for Advent

This will be my fourth year posting weekly prayers on Prayers & Creeds. Today I posted my first Advent prayer of the season on the Prayers & Creeds blog. Below the prayer are additional links to some of my favorite Advent prayers posted in years past.

Advent Prayer for Hope

Lord Jesus Christ,

who is, who was, and who is to come,

we pray for the virtue of hope,

that amidst the trials and difficulties

of this world,

we may keep our hearts fixed

upon you, who reigns over the cosmos.

May your grace enliven us,

strengthen us,

and defend us,

as we await your coming in glory. Amen

~David Bennett

(Taken from: http://www.churchyear.net/adventprayers.html)

Prayer for Welcoming Advent

Advent Collect for Southern Hemisphere

Advent Prayer from Walter Brueggemann

Advent Prayer from Henri Nouwen

Awaiting the Christ 

Hope Revived

Advent is coming...

The first Sunday of Advent is Thanksgiving weekend on November 27…just 10-days away. For the past few years I have posted resources and links in preparation for the Advent season. I find it valuable to get ready and make space for Advent ahead of time. Especially in what can be a super hectic time of year, I desire to make space to listen, space to be still, and space to be nourished in this season of Advent.

For those of you who have followed my blog in Advents past, many of the links below will look familiar. Please share any additional Advent resources or ideas that have been helpful to you in comments to this blog post. I also plan to once again post regular reflections and prayers during the Advent season ahead.

Just click on the resources listed below....

CRI/Voice - The Season of Advent: Anticipation and Hope
This is a helpful introduction and summary of Advent.

Waiting for the Light: An Advent Devotional
This year Christine Sine & Mustard Seed Associates have put together a book of reflections, liturgies, and prayers posted on Godspace blog in years past. I am, especially, looking forward to this devotional. An e-reader version should be available, as well.

Christine Sine’s Annual Advent meditation video for 2011
“Lord Jesus Christ Draw Close”

GodSpace Blog
This Advent Christine Sine will host a blog series, “Jesus Is Coming: What Do We Expect?” It will include blog posts and reflections from a variety of contributors.

Ignatian Spirituality Advent Retreat & Resources
This page includes a variety of resources, including an Advent Retreat booklet based on Ignatian contemplative and prayer practices. I am planning on utilizing this resource this Advent. More to come!

Songs for Advent
A couple years ago I discovered this Advent worship digital download. It quickly became a favorite!

Book of Common Prayer Daily Scripture Readings for Advent 
(2011/2012- Year Two)

Revised Common Lectionary Sunday Scripture Readings for Advent
(2011/2012 - Year B)

Praying Advent
Creighton University’s Online Ministries offers a selection of materials to help people prayerfully enter into Advent, from short prayers to longer reflections and retreats.

Modern Sacred Family Advent Resources
This website offers resources and suggestions for observing Advent with kids.

Word of the People - Advent Videos
This is a website of visual media and videos that I have recently been exploring. It also includes some Advent videos.

O Antiphons: O Emmanuel

December 23 – O God-who-is-with-us (O Emmanuel)

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Saviour:

Come and save us, O Lord our God.

(Original translation from Latin)

O God-who-is-with-us, our coming king, composer of justice,

the nations will gather and bow down to you

who will come to judge the living and the dead.

Come now and save us, our God in the flesh.

(Contemporary translation from Thom Turner on Everyday Liturgy blog, http://everydayliturgy.com/o-antiphons-a-theological-translation/)

Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23; Haggai 2:7

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

For a more info on the O Antiphons...click here.

O Antiphons: O King of the Nations

December 22 – O King of the Nations (O Rex Gentium)

O King of the nations, and their desire,

the cornerstone making both one:

Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from clay.

(Original translation from Latin)

O King of the Gentiles, the object of our desire,

you are the rock on which the church has been built.

You graft your chosen people together in one body.

Come now and save us who are but dirt and clay.

(Contemporary translation from Thom Turner on Everyday Liturgy blog, http://everydayliturgy.com/o-antiphons-a-theological-translation/)

Jeremiah 30.7-11a; Revelation 15:3; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; I Peter 2:6

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

(From "O Come O Come Emmanuel")

For a more info on the O Antiphons...click here.

O Antiphons: O Morning Star

December 21 – O Morning Star (O Oriens)

O Morning Star,

splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death.

(Original translation from Latin)

O Morning Star, bright light, eternal dawn, sun of justice,

shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;

be our guide on the path of righteousness.

Come now and show us the light that brings eternal joy.

(Contemporary translation from Thom Turner on Everyday Liturgy blog, http://everydayliturgy.com/o-antiphons-a-theological-translation/)

Numbers 24.15b-17; Luke 1:78, 79; Malachi 4:2

'The antiphon begins: O Daystar, splendor of eternal light and Sun of Justice. The Latin beginning “O Oriens” is translated in several different ways: O Daystar; O Dayspring; O Radiant Dawn [or O Morning Star]. Each of these is rich in meaning and symbolism. In the early days of the Church, the first Christian temples were constructed looking toward the east, the Orient, from Christ came and was expected to return. The sun, a symbol of Christ, rises daily from the east. And from the sun comes light and life. Similarly, it is from Christ, the Sun of Justice, that we Christians receive light and life. Christ, the Oriens from on high, is the light of the world, and it is ultimately in his light hat we shall one day see the radiance and splendor of the Father.”

(Blessings of the Daily: A Monastic Book of Days, Brother Victor-Antoine d’ Avila-Latourrette, p. 24)

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

For a more info on the O Antiphons...click here.