2020 Advent Meditation

Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in joy as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in joy.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that joy will be accessible to people going through difficult periods—divorces, moves, job losses, job changes, etc. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the wild turkey. Reflection on Story The author talks about how wild turkeys call reassurances to each other in the most difficult of weather, especially to the youngest among them. Let's take a minute to meditate on how God and others have reassured us in hard times, and how we can be an encouragement to people in our various spheres of life—maybe especially to the youngest in our families, churches, and communities. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in joy as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in joy.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that we can find more joy in everyday occurrences, in the day-to-day world around us. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the opossum. Reflection on Story The author talks about how the opossum depends on humans for survival, and are somewhat at our mercy. Let's take a minute to meditate on the ways we depend on God for our survival and well-being, and how we lie vulnerable and trusting in God's care. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on victims and veterans of war. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the little brown bat. Reflection on Story The author talks about how the brown bat has to reset its normal to survive the winter. Many of us have had to reset our normal and can relate to this animal. Let's take a minute to meditate on how this re-setting of normal helps us survive and grow resilient. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on immigrants—documented and undocumented—and especially those who are petitioning our country for asylum. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the raccoon. Reflection on Story The author talks about how the raccoon forages for almost anything to eat. Have you ever been so hungry for hope or for guidance from God that you'll gratefully take whatever scrap of hope or connection you find? Let's take a minute to meditate on what it might feel like to urgently hope for and expect the comfort and direction of the Spirit. And invite the Spirit to show up in places where we need her right now. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on our elected officials and other government employees. "Lord, may your peace rest on [insert names of elected officials and government employees who come to mind.]" Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the wood frog. Reflection on Story The author talks about how the wood frog practices being slow and quiet before they need to do so for long stretches. Let's take a minute to meditate on what we learn from the wood frog. Let's practice being slow and quiet. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on our neighbors. You can start by praying something like, “May the peace of God rest on _________ [insert names of your neighbors, if you know them, or pray more generally for them].” Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the common loon. Reflection on Story The author talks about how loons lose their beautiful feathers, which are replaced by a solid grey. Let's take a minute to meditate on how, in some seasons, it's good to not call much attention to ourselves, but to simply be. Let's spend a moment right now just being. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on our loved ones. You can start by praying something like, “May the peace of God rest on _________ [insert names of your loved ones as they come to mind].” Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the cottontail rabbit. Reflection on Story The author talks about the alertness of the cottontail as it waits for safety. When the Bible tells us to wait on the Lord, the word that's used for “wait” is one that means “actively waiting,” “waiting expectantly for something to happen.” Let's take a minute to meditate on what it feels like to wait expectantly for God to show up in our lives, even if the wait time feels long. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in peace.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray that God's peace will rest on those who are grieving this holiday season, as well as those who are sick. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the chipmunk. Reflection on Story The author talks about how chipmunks need to take care of themselves. While we humans are part of communities, we also bear some responsibility for taking care of ourselves. Let's take a minute to meditate on what the chipmunk can teach us about making sure our needs are met. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray for our nation. You can start by praying something like, “God, give me hope for _________ in our country.” And then remember various people and institutions before God as they come to mind. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the honeybee. Reflection on Story The author talks about how bees survive the cold by holding on to what they know and trusting their community to help them. Let's take a minute to meditate on the idea that we alone do not carry the responsibility of holding onto hope and life; rather, we do it as a community. I invite you to think about your various communities and how they help you through difficulties. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray for our church. You can start by praying something like, “God, give me hope for _________ in my faith community.” And then remember various people before God as they come to mind. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the whitetail deer. Reflection on Story The author talks about how the deer lay down together to share their warmth and get through winter. Let's take a minute to meditate on who and what warms our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits as we hunker into the darkness of winter. Feel free to express whatever feelings you have about this idea to the Creator—whether it's gratitude, or frustration, or desire for more warmth and support. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray for our community. You can start by praying something like, “God, give me hope for _________ in my community.” And then list various aspects of your city or neighborhood you want to hold before God. Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the chickadee. Reflection on Story The author asks the question, “Will there be enough of what they need to take them through to tomorrow?” Let's take a minute to meditate on that question for ourselves. Will we have enough to see us through the next day? Can we allow hope that each day there will be provision? Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray for ourselves, saying, “God, give me hope for _________.” Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the black bear. Reflection on Story The author talks about how life grows in female black bears while they're in hibernation, and she wonders if this new life takes the bears by surprise when they wake. Let's take a minute to meditate on the idea that hope and life can grow in us unawares. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “… as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer Today we'll pray for someone we care about, saying, “God, give [my loved one] hope for _________.” For example, “God give my mom hope for a happy future.” Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the muskrat. Reflection on Story The author talks about the muskrat making a shelter for a bit of breathing room. Let's take a minute for a little breathing room right now, thinking about what other things help you find breathing room in your life. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  Variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick I breathe in hope as I stand today: Calling on the Source, the Wellspring and the Living Water Believing in the Threeness, Witnessing the Oneness On my way to meet you face to face. Now let's spend about one minute using part of this prayer as a breath prayer. On the in breath, say: “I breathe in hope.” On the out breath: “…as I stand today.” Petitionary Prayer The theme of the first week of Advent is hope, and today we'll ask God to give us hope for something specific in our daily work. Let's start by thinking about what we hope for in our work lives—and work life of course includes you moms or dads who stay at home with kids, those of you who are unemployed and seeking the next thing, and those of you who might be retired or on disability…who define your vocations differently at this stage in life. Ask for hope for something in your daily tasks or outlook. “God, give me hope for _________ in the work that I do.” Story from All Creation Waits Story from the Advent book, All Creation Waits, written by Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein—today's story is about the painted turtle. Reflection on Story The author talks about the simplicity of utter quietude. Let's take a minute to practice utter quietude right now, and perhaps you can find another moment or two in your day for focused silence. Benediction Go in peace Wash your hands Love your neighbor You are not alone.

  2020 Blue Ocean Church Advent Meditation Podcast Each podcast lasts approximately 8–10 minutes, and the format goes like this: We start with a variation on a Prayer of St. Patrick that reflects the Advent theme for the week. Historically, the four weeks of Advent focus first on hope, then peace, joy, and love. The Prayer of St. Patrick changes slightly each week to reflect those themes and we spend a minute using a portion of the prayer as a breath meditation to slow our bodies and minds so we can be open to the Divine. Next there is a time of petition where we have an opportunity to pray for something or someone each day. This portion is more specifically guided. Then Emily reads from a collection of Advent stories called All Creation Waits by author Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein. The author hails from western Michigan and when her first son was young she compiled stories to tell him during Advent of how various local animals respond to the darkness of winter and wait for the coming spring. Boss compiled those stories in book form and she has graciously given us permission to record those stories and share them with you. Finally, to close out the podcast, we meditate on a thought offered by the story we've just heard. A brief word about Advent for those of you for whom it might be new: The word advent means waiting—it's a four-week season when we practice waiting on the presence of God to show up, symbolized in the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. In the Julian calendar (which was a later version of the Roman calendar), Dec. 24 or 25 was winter solstice. In the northern hemisphere daylight diminishes between summer solstice and winter solstice and then increases again starting at the end of December. The Romans celebrated the day when sunlight started its renewed expansion, Dec. 25, as the birth of the Sun god. And so it seems that Christians in the third century adopted the birthday of the Sun god as the birthday of the Son of God. The idea being that, after increasing darkness, there appeared a great light. When we celebrate Advent we practice waiting in the darkness for the Light of the World to appear. I want to note that darkness has several meanings in Scripture. In the modern Western world, the metaphor of dark and light historically has racist tinges—as if dark implies nefariousness and light implies goodness. But in Scripture, which predates our modern associations, darkness far more often simply means “things which are hidden and unseen”; it can mean evil; and it can also mean something like “powerfully holy.” A few of the most profound moments in the Bible depict God surrounded by darkness or by dark clouds. During this 2020 Advent we meditate on the stories of how animals wait and survive in the dark and learn from them what it means to wait on God—and on hope—when things seem hidden from us.

  2020 Blue Ocean Church Advent Meditation Podcast The word advent means waiting—it's a four-week season when we practice waiting on the presence of God to show up, symbolized in the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Advent season begins on Sunday, Nov 29, and culminates on Christmas Eve. We'll publish meditations on Monday–Saturday each week of the Advent season. Our 2020 Advent podcast includes guided prayer and meditation, as well as stories of how animals wait and survive in the dark and learn from them what it means to wait on God—and on hope—when things seem hidden from us. Part of the podcast includes stories from a book called All Creation Waits by author Gayle Boss and illustrated by David Klein. We hope you'll join us. Note: the Advent meditations are part of our ongoing Blue Ocean Daily Prayer series. New listeners can also subscribe to the Advent series separately (search for "Blue Ocean 2020 Advent Meditation" in your favorite podcast app).