May the sounds of Advent stir a longing in your people, O God. Come again to set us free from the dullness of routine and the poverty of our imaginations. Break the patterns which bind us to small commitments and to the stale answers we have given to questions of no importance. Let the Advent trumpet blow, let the walls of our defenses crumble, and make a place in our lives for the freshness of your love, well-lived in the Spirit, and still given to all who know their need and dare receive it. Amen” (The Mood of Christmas).
“Inequality is so entrenched in our global society that it can start to feel natural that billions of people don’t have access to quality health care. It’s not natural, it’s morally wrong, and it must be fixed. Childhood is often a death sentence for lack of blood banks, or that treatable illnesses, like diarrhea, kill thousands of children every day is an emergency on a global scale.”—Partners in Health
Verse of the day
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.
– Luke 1:52-53
Voice of the day
The truth is powerful and will prevail.
– Sojourner Truth
Prayer of the day
Our spirits rejoice in your truth, God our Savior. May your will be done on earth, and may we participate in its coming.
“Be realistic and do the impossible, because if we don’t do the impossible, we face the unthinkable.”—Murray Bookchin
“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, ‘Mother, what was war?’”—Eve Merriam, poet & writer (1916-1992)
“(T)here is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.”—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, from King: A Life by Jonathan Eig, p. 142
Advent reflections: When Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, meet during their pregnancies, they rejoice in the ending of Empire and its oppression of the lowly under which they live at that time with the Roman occupation of Judea Mary sings a revolutionary song to Elizabeth, known as…
— Read on herbstonejr.com/advent-reflections/22/
“Stories of resistance have been taken from us, the books burned, the songs stifled or forbidden, the troubadours sent wandering in the wilderness … but even if we forget, even if the stories are taken away, something in us will remember when the time comes. It’s a mystery but it’s true.”—Pam McAllister, You Can’t Kill The Spirit
Verse of the day
The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.
– Genesis 1:12
Voice of the day
I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.
– Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself, 31”
Prayer of the day
Creator, you have given thought to every bit of creation. May we recognize your intention in every leaf of grass.
“If we stay with the principles of NVC [nonviolent communication], stay motivated solely to give and receive compassionately, and do everything we can to let others know this is our only motive, they will join us in the process, and eventually we will be able to respond compassionately to one another.”—Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD
