Story by Larry McGuire, president of seventy

[God’s] mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before [God]...[God] knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud.

Based on the Advent Devotion for Families and Households available at https://account-media.s3.amazonaws.com/26072/uploaded/h/0e18630581_1729692500_hope-is-near-advent-2024-23102024.pdf 

Open: Light a candle or ring a chime.

Ask: Take a few minutes and ask yourself, “When did I feel hope today or yesterday?”

Listen: Every year as we move through the liturgical calendar, we celebrate the faithful discipleship of people who lived centuries before us, those celebrating now and those who will arrive long after we are gone from this earth. It is a cycle of memory, birth, and rebirth.

This is a journey of reencounter with God in sacred texts, hymns of imagination and poetry, and relationships with people. It is a journey in which we affirm over and again that God chose to encounter us in a relationship, not as a theory. The relationship can include painful memories, the tenderness of a hug, the richness of a meal, the celebration of being together, or the depth of simply welcoming one another. The journey can take us on unfamiliar paths, and it can rekindle memories of well-known paths. No matter the path, we are not alone on the journey.

For centuries people waited in expectation for God’s living expression in the world. They longed for someone who would overthrow worldly powers that ruled by fear and domination. They longed to be saved through “the mighty acts of God.” Then, in Jesus, God came by unexpected means, to an unexpecting family and culture. God came to forge a lasting relationship that continues today.

Do we expect God’s presence during times of violence, hatred, fear, poverty, and war? That is precisely when God encountered us in the birth of Jesus! Many expected something different while others received the gift just as it was given. What do we expect centuries after the birth of Jesus? Am I waiting with anticipation or with preconceived ideas and no expectancy to be surprised by the encounter with God? I wait. We wait.

Breathe

The season of Advent reminds us that even as we wait for the birth of Christ in our lives and world, God is always with us. Right here, right now—wherever we are and with the ones we love. Take a deep breath and breathe in the presence of God.

Respond

How can you bring hope to others today?

Gratitude Prayer

Start a prayer by saying, “God, today I am grateful for…”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.