I'm Here

By Sibyl Towner, co-Author of  Listen to My Life

This past Sunday was the 4th Sunday of Advent…the season of waiting with anticipation…the time of listening more deeply to who we are and who we are becoming in Christ in this particular year. It is an invitation to honesty and openness on our part.

It is also:

• The time of remembering that Christ came 2000+ years ago and entered our world vulnerable and needing others to survive and live. This is true for all of us.
• The time of reflecting on the ways we have come to Christmas over the years and the events that have shaped our actions each year.
• The time of looking at our relational world; its health and vitality and our part in helping relationships deepen and grow…beginning with those closest to us and extending to those on the other side of the world.
• The time to remember that He is coming again and until then, we carry the gospel hour by hour, day by day and week by week into the place we live and work and have our being and our doing.

This Advent began the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was a travel day going back home after having been with family. That Monday I taught at Judson University for their chapel and opened up with Advent inviting the students to come to Christmas and to Christ in a more authentic way this year. Dick and I usually have Advent gatherings that include a lot of families and singles each week to come together and remember the Christ who came, who is in our midst through one another and who is coming again. This year we had less large groups and a number of small gatherings with a focus of listening to the activity of God in our current lives and to give thanks. We went visiting as well to some who could not come out, but who could receive someone coming in.

Scripture:
"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Ps. 25:4-5

Question:

• Can you find 10 minutes this week and approach God as a beloved daughter or son and be quiet? Just say, "I'm here." Listen for nudges and invitations to action, to waiting, and pray for courage to follow Him.