Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, please pray for
St. Thomas Episcopal, Las Vegas
The Rev. Tim Swonger, Priest
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, please pray for
the Church of the Province of Uganda
from Ministry Architects with minor edits
Psalm 23:3 reminds us, “He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Advent is a beautiful time of living in the liminal space of already and not yet. Even though it is 2024, and we know Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again more than 2000 years ago, believers like us continue to make space for the practice of waiting.
Waiting is complicated. For kids, waiting is the worst. It fuels impatience, strengthens impulses, and creates a playground for imaginations to run wild, often making an ask for forgiveness sound a whole lot better than an ask for permission.
For adults, it’s not much different. Rare is the grown-up for whom waiting doesn’t feel like excruciating inaction. And when trials are too much, or tasks seem trivial – that’s the height of our desire to just do something.
The problem is, those somethings we do aren’t always in line with our Lord. In fact, little else feeds the imbalance of our record to go rogue than when we have to wait. In these moments, we hold a great propensity to flounder instead of follow, completely forgetting that waiting with the Lord isn’t inaction at all. Waiting with the Lord presents a perfect opportunity for restoration.
Think about it: Waiting offers concentrated time to pause and reflect on whether the path we’re walking is God’s or our own. Waiting can lead to listening, where we can work out if fear or loneliness is speaking louder than the comfort, guidance, and strength that our very present God supplies.
Advent is a reminder we get to live differently than the rest of the world, and that includes how we wait. How are you celebrating this season of waiting?
Here are two suggestions as you consider your Advent call to wait:
Who was a part of that time? What was the situation? Did you find peace in the pause – or did you fill the moments with movements, either scrolling through a phone or doing anything to avoid just being present in the wait?
Think-on-Three:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, please pray for
The Episcopal Church
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, please pray for
the Anglican Church of Tanzania
Originally published in a newsletter by:
The Episcopal Diocese of Nevada
P.O. Box 2857 Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Reno, NV 89505 US
EpiscopalNevada.org
Advent is a wonderful time to begin or restart a practice as we watch and wait for Christ. The clergy of the diocese share during this time of year ways they continued to grow their faith and leadership. What is below comes from one of the very best priests we have in The Episcopal Church and we are blessed to have them here with us. When asked how they connected their learning with ministry the answer was: Prayer! You can see what they said below. Perhaps adding prayer is a good thing to try this Advent season.
Goal and Ministry Connection: Prayer! Often during ‘ministerial meetings’ or other gatherings when asked ‘who wants to pray’ the Episcopalians bow their heads and look away, avoid volunteering. Is it because we don’t have our BCP’s at hand? Too shy to lead in public? Or feel inadequate in ‘how to pray’?
In almost every class I facilitate (or workshops I lead) I encourage folks to pray from the heart.
There are no rules! Prayer is a conversation with God. A collection of books (from a variety of authors, spiritual leaders, etc.), resources about prayer/meditation, and conversation about prayer have boosted my confidence to say, “YES’! I will lead us in prayer.” My ‘goal’ (even though I didn’t think about it as such) is to empower all to say ‘yes’. To open the door to prayer, encourage folks not to be afraid to pray aloud, to share their concerns. At the same time, I have done more teaching about the prayers/collects/offices in the BCP (homilies, classes, trainings, evening services). Many folks are not aware of the rich resource the BCP provides for all occasions (individually and in groups).
“Our service begins on page 355 in the Book of Common Prayer” may be the only ‘pages’ they’ve explored.
Do we have enough money in the budget to purchase take home copies for everyone in the diocese? Just kidding!
YES! If you would like your own Book of Common Prayer click the button below. We will get you a BCP to explore its rich history, amazing theology, and gorgeous prayers. Link to Book of Common Prayer