My mom put our Christmas decorations away yesterday and when
the last decoration had been put away and the furniture re-arranged, she
exclaimed, “There! I’m all done with
Christmas!”
The celebration of Christmas sometimes feels like such a
futile extravaganza for something so temporary.
All that preparing and waiting for the one day and then it’s over, just
like that. Presents get opened. Food gets eaten. Football games get watched. Nothing lasts (except the clean up work and
the leftovers from dinner that sometime stay too long in the fridge). The Christmas decorations get put away and unwanted gifts
get exchanged, and then it’s like nothing ever happened.
But something did happen: Christ was born about 2,000 years
ago. There’s a lot of talk about failing
to celebrate the “true” meaning of Christmas (i.e. Jesus’ birth), but the real
failure is that we prepare for the birth but we do not prepare for Jesus the
person and the Divinity to come and live among us. It’s kind of an odd circumstance- Jesus was
born into the world, lived on earth, now sits at the right hand of the Father,
Jesus’ presence remains on earth, and one day Jesus will return to earth.
In the past month or so I have been acutely aware of how
much I want and need Jesus to come again soon.
The world is so incredibly broken and the only thing that will fix it
completely is for God to come to earth again.
So, I’ve tried to focus on more than Jesus’ birth. I’ve set my focus on searching for God’s current
presence in the world and on preparing for the day when all will be restored.
But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing that keeps me up at
night anymore. In fact, I’ve had much
difficulty having patience and holding onto hope while knowing that so many
people suffer each second of every day.
I have often found peace in Holden Evening Prayer- a
beautiful composition of music and litany written by Marty Haugen. During Wednesday evening worship services
during Advent, my church used the Holden Evening Prayer litany and I’ve been holding
on to the prayer litany. I’ve had these
prayers and their music in my head for weeks now- I have prayed these words often when I feel the brokenness of the world starting to cover my hope for restoration. I hope you
will find the same peace in this prayer that I have found.
You can listen to Holden Evening Prayer music here: Holden Evening Prayer (feel free to listen to the whole thing but the prayers start at 10:05).
Here’s the prayer litany:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
In peace, in peace, we pray to you:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For peace and salvation, we pray to you:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For peace between nations, for peace between people:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For all who are gathered to worship and praise you:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For all of your servants who live out your gospel:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For all those who govern, that justice might guide them:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For those who labor in service to others:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
Grant weather that nourishes all of creation:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
Keep watch on our loved ones and keep us from danger:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
For all the beloved who rest in your mercy:
God of mercy, hold us in love.
Help us, comfort us, all of our days:
Keep us, hold us, gracious God.
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