1 December 2006

Again from 1 Peter:

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.

Since there is this living hope and we have been showered with the good news by the Holy Spirit - a news to which the prophets testified - there is no need to turn to any other power or news in order to live our lives. The grace that is our through Jesus is the reality we are invited to turn to in all things. But it takes discipline. We live in the midst of so many voices that attempt to win our hearts or simply use us for a while. These are voices that can easily persuade us and seem to never stop their chatter. Therefore, we must be ready for what will happen everyday and we must be ready with the promise in hand. Here we are in the first day of December and just a few days from the the season of Advent and we just happen to be given a short piece of scripture that calls us forth to be ready to live within a promise that has been handed down to us so that we can experience the power of the living word as we know it in Jesus. This is to be an everyday experience and one to which we must give our attention. We do not simply wait for the coming of the Lord, we take what has been revealed and we wait within it - full of new life - full of anticipation - full of the vision that brings all things into focus.

Connection: Within the clutter of seasonal expectations, it can be difficult to keep our minds on the one whose gift to us is a promise for life. And yet, when we do that - when we stay focused - the promise does continue to unfold around us.

By your Spirit, O God, sustain us by your grace and remind us of the way you have been the source of new life for those who have gone before us. Remind us that even in this day, we are encouraged to trust in you and to become a living witness to your abundant life. Amen.