December 5

Prayer:[1]

Holy God, we look for You, we long for You.
Let us see that You come among us.
Make us aware of Your presence and help us to turn toward you and so come to glimpse your glory and your power and experience your grace and your love.
Loving God, prepare us to celebrate the first coming of our Lord Jesus and to do Your work in expectation of His Second Coming in power and great glory.
As we turn and walk the road toward your outstretched arms, remove from our lives those powers and forces that have caused us to do evil rather than good, to hate rather than love, to hold resentment close to us rather than the power of your forgiveness, to seek amusement rather than fulfillment.
Bring down the high places that obstruct your path and fill in the valleys that hinder our coming to you. Forgive us Lord for having wandered away from you and help us to walk each day in the direction you would have us go.
Compassionate God, by the coming of Christ Jesus you give us strength in the midst of our weakness, peace in the midst of our conflicts, and light in the midst of our darkness.
We hear your voice calling to us, we see your hands reaching out to us. O Lord, enfold us in your arms, and not only us - but all who we lift before you now in our hearts and with the words of lips. Gracious God, by Your tender compassion the light of Christ has dawned upon us. You have prepared a way to you for us and for our world. And you come upon it.
Come Lord Jesus,
Come Holy Father,
Come Spirit of Righteousness and Truth, and make this world a new and better home, now and forevermore. Amen

Scripture:
Malachi 3:1-4, 2 Peter 3:8-15

“Make Peace with God”

Israel’s expectation of the coming of the Anointed One includes the purification of the entire community of Israel. God desires a holy and righteous people for Himself and He promises to send His Anointed One to make them ready, so they can stand in His presence on the awesome day of His coming. The apostle Peter understands the implication of the Lord’s coming for Christians. “You ought to live holy and godly lives,” he writes to the early church and encourages the body of Christ to “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:11, 14). God’s patience with sinners means salvation for all, and Jesus came so we can make peace with God. Jesus fulfills God’s promise to purify His people. Through repentance and faith in Jesus, we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Heb 4:16). Jesus, the Anointed One of Israel, was sent into our world the first time so that the community of believers will be presented to himself as the pure, radiant bride at His second coming.

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise. — John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Application: Solitude God often speaks to us concerning the way we live when we come to Him in humility. One of the valuable things of practicing spiritual disciplines daily is that it is an acknowledgment of our need for God. Plan a time for today and/or in the next few days to engage in the spiritual discipline of solitude. Make sure you will not be disturbed for that time so you can take as long as you need. “The point of your time in solitude and silence is to do nothing and don’t try to make anything happen.[2] In solitude and silence you’re learning to stop doing, stop producing, stop pleasing people, stop entertaining yourself, stop obsessing — stop doing anything except to simply be your naked self before God and be found by him.”[3] Remember Jesus’ example of praying in a solitary place and be prepared to enter a time when all the connections you have with people and even things are cut off except for your reliance on God. Most importantly, trust the Holy Spirit to guide you through your thoughts and make your solitude “the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born.”[4]

Photo Credit

[1] Richard J. Fairchild, "Sermon and Liturgy For Advent 02 - Year C," Sermons and Sermon- Lectionary Resources, http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-ad02smsu.php (Accessed on Nov 21, 2013.)
[2] Bill Gaultiere, "Solitude and Silence," Soul Shepherding, http://www.soulshepherding.org/2005/08/solitude-and-silence/ (Accessed Nov 21, 2013.) 
[3] Bill Gaultiere, "Solitude and Silence," Soul Shepherding, http://www.soulshepherding.org/2005/08/solitude-and-silence/ (Accessed Nov 21, 2013.) 
[4] Henry Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life, (New York: Crossroad, 1999), 47.