Holy One, for weeks now
the stores have been hawking
Christmas things
and the television has been advertising
holiday specials
and persuading children that
they really really really want
this, that, or the other
People have been baking
and houses are filled with
tantalizing smells
We are buying extra food
to accommodate the appetites
which seem to be bigger
at the time of the year
The argument continues
about when it is appropriate
to put up the Christmas tree
and many people jump the gun
according to other people
Advent calendars of all sorts
have been appearing
for children and adults
and even for cats and dogs
calendars containing
chocolate or other treats
But with all of this
there seems to have been
little preparation for
celebrating the birth
of the holy child
Emmanuel
Jesus the Christ
the Son of David
It is time to bring this back
this time of anticipation
not for gifts
but for the greatest gift of all
not for food
but for spiritual nourishment
Grant that when tomorrow comes
we will begin to focus our thoughts
on the trip to Bethlehem
on what happened in that stable
or cave or whatever it was
when the baby was
laid in a manger
and angels sang
and shepherds came
Grant that for the next four weeks
in the midst of the hustle and bustle
of the secular world
we will find some time every day
to remember that is really isn’t
all about a fat man in a red suit
or sparkling lights on trees
but about the time when
the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.
Amen
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Reverend Doctor Katherine Burgess, a second-career minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, serves two congregations in the province of Québec, Canada. She is one of the regular contributors to the Saturday Prayer for RevGals, and also contributes to RevGals Weekly E-Reader. She is presently living a hybrid life, with some of it – too much still – online, and other parts of it in person. She lives with her husband, Keith, a dog named Bella, and a cat named OhchoCat. She shares daily prayers on her Facebook page. She also has a blog, but rarely manages to post anything in it.
Katherine would like to remind you that, on the RevGals Facebook page, there is a link to Rachel Keefe’s self-care Advent calendar. Maybe you would like to check it out, and celebrate Advent a little differently this year.
RevGalBlogPals encourages you to share our blog posts via email or social media. We do not grant permission to cut-and-paste prayers and articles without a link back to the specific post. For permission to use material in paper publications, please email revgalblogpals at gmail dot com.
RevGalBlogPals 
Thank you — a blessing reminder!
LikeLike