Waiting and Watching

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Advent is a time of watching and waiting. Paying attention and being patient help us to see the beauty of a moment that otherwise would have been missed.


Yesterday Amy and I walked on the beach and saw a dark, stormy sky. As we walked the sky changed: just a hint of color below the clouds, a flicker of light on the horizon, then a fiery ball, and then a full blown firestorm of light. We stood there amazed along with others along the beach.


If Advent is a time of watching and waiting, what might we see if we stop and look? If we pay attention to what God was doing in the midst of our ordinary walking, celebrating, decorating, or worshipping during the season?

Below is a prayer that asks for God's blessing as we watch and wait for the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. 

--


God of the watching ones,
give us your benediction.

God of the waiting ones,
give us Your good word for our souls.

God of the watching ones, 
the waiting ones,
the slow and suffering ones,
give us your benediction,
Your good word for our souls,
that we might rest.

God of the watching ones, 
the waiting ones,
the slow and suffering ones,
and of all the angels in heaven,
and of the child in the womb,
give us your benediction,
Your good word for our souls, 
that we might rest and rise
in the kindness of Your Company.

"An evening prayer for blessing during Advent" from Celtic Daily Prayer

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