Comfort Us (Wednesday, First Week of Advent)

November 27, 2021, By: Jimmy Scruggs

Welcome! As you set aside time each day for Advent prayer we invite you to use this approach, which works well for individuals and groups of all ages.

Light a candle. Pause to remember the presence of God filling you with Light and Love.

Pray this Opening Prayer:

Radiant Creator, awaken me to your presence.
Jesus, Light of all Lights, kindle love in my heart.
Spirit of Illumination, guide my path today.

Advent Reflection for the Day

 The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces. Isaiah 25:8

When our children were small, they loved December as a special time for joy and generosity. (God help the parents and grandparents who worked to assist the girls with their visions!) Dave and I noticed that the girls enjoyed the Advent season as much as anything that happened on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. They loved sitting beneath the tree in the days leading up to Christmas. They loved making things, wrapping gifts and delivering goodness to other people.

Now, Advent is my favorite church season! The combination of hope and joy present in these days touches my heart in a special way. Sometimes I’ve waited the whole month for the stirring to occur. (Like the year a new kitten toppled a large, bedecked tree, spilling water and smashing heirlooms and nearly clubbing a preschooler who was trying to wrangle the unruly cat.) The “Christmas feeling” came late to me that year; and it was worth the wait.

Few of us will go through the four weeks of Advent without some unwelcome burden or struggle. And we are not alone. For people all over the world, the absence of hope and joy hovers like a cloud or rudely arrives for a long visit. This time of year is painful for those of us experiencing hurts such as grief, financial stress or violence. It can be excruciating for someone living with cancer, worrying for a child, isolated by aging or hanging onto sobriety. We all know someone in need of hope. Each one has a relative, friend or coworker who reminds us that joy is not always easy to come by.

The disheartened and distressed among us are part of our Advent preparation. You have the heart of Jesus; and you desire comfort, not only for yourself, but for every tearstained face you know.

Our inner Light, Jesus, offers care and comfort amid long days of darkness. Advent is a time to healthily turn inward, rest in the light of God’s love and extend love to others through our prayers and acts of compassion. In doing so, we bring comfort and joy to one another.

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Set your intention for the day. Say: Today I will bring into my prayer and my heart someone who is hurting right now

Pray this Closing Prayer:

Jesus, you are the Everlasting Light.
Help me to bring your love everywhere I go.
Fill me with Light this Advent 
that all my life will reflect you.
Shine through me so that that everyone I meet today
would feel your presence in my spirit. 
Let them look and see, not just me, but you,
Light of all Lights, Shining through me. Amen

As you blow out the candle and the flame vanishes, remember you have divine light within you that will never go out. You take the light of Christ with you wherever you are.

Together on the Journey,

Katie Martinez