Rejoice in the Lord!

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, which is also called Gaudete Sunday. "Gaudete" means "Rejoice!" in Latin, as in "Rejoice in the Lord always!" (Philippians 4:4).

This Sunday is when we light the pink/rose candle on our Advent wreaths, which represents the aspect of joy in the Advent season.

Advent is about preparation for Jesus' coming, both his birth as a baby and his return at the end of time. Much of that requires sober self-reflection, but as we see in Mary's proclamation when she finds out she's pregnant: there's a great deal of joy to be had, as well.

When I searched for an image to accompany this post, it was very difficult to find anything that is particularly Advent-y. There were lots of Christmas trees, white candles, and red candles—not many purple and pink candles or green boughs without adornment.

The temptation to skip straight to Christmas is enormous. After all, the music is already on in all the stores, and preparing for Christmas takes up so much of our mental energy.

Our Advent traditions hopefully help us to remember to slow down and remember that preparing for Christmas is not just about checking people off our shopping lists. We're invited to prepare our hearts and minds for God to break into linear time and shatter the power of death. And that time of preparation is about reflecting seriously... while also leaving plenty of space to rejoice!

A COVID Prayer

Everyone is talking about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, but even without it in Connecticut (as far as we know), our rates have been rising precipitously in the past few weeks. I’m anticipating worsening COVID conditions as the post-Thanksgiving infections hit and continue to spread throughout the winter holidays.

That means we’ll need to keep wearing our masks for at least a little while longer, so I thought I’d share this prayer. I found it on Facebook in 2020, and it’s a prayer to say when you’re putting on a mask. It’s written by the Rev. Richard Bott, Moderator, Presbyterian Church of Canada.

Maybe you’ll read this aloud next time you put on your mask to go into work, or the grocery store, or school:

Creator God, as I prepare to go into the world, help me to see the sacramental nature of wearing this cloth. Let it be a tangible and visible way of living love for my neighbors, as I love myself.

Christ Jesus, since my lips will be covered, uncover my heart, that people would see my smiles in the crinkles around my eyes. Since my voice may be muffled, help me to speak clearly, not only with my words, but with my actions.

Holy Spirit, as the elastic touches my ears, remind me to listen carefully and caringly to all those I meet. May this simple piece of cloth be shield and banner, and may each breath that it holds be filled with Your love. In Your name and in that love, I pray. Amen.

An Advent Community of Prayer

Welcome to Advent! Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. For the past several years, Forward Movement has cultivated a global #AdventWord calendar to create an international community of prayer online.

Each day has one word on which we will all center our prayers. This is one way to give shape to your prayer life in Advent.

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut is following along, and you're invited to participate there. Check out the ECCT Facebook page for each day’s word and reflection, then share your own comment in response.

And here are other ways to participate on a more global scale.

I hope you’ll find #AdventWord helpful. I plan to participate on Twitter as a special way to focus my prayers in this important season!