Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22
Kindness is good. Patience is good. Respect for all people is good. Forgiveness is good. Giving thanks is good. Compassion is good.
God’s love for us is good and calls us to turn away from the dark to embrace the light.
Today I will seek the light of Christ to help me embody goodness with my words, actions, and behaviors.
Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Isaiah 40:1
We are all frail people who are suffering from something voiced or unvoiced, something accepted or denied, something tangible or intangible.
Today I will do as God asks and offer a word or gesture of comfort to everyone I meet, including myself.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7b
The grace of God fills my heart and mind with faith in God’s presence and hope in God’s vision of perfect love and unity among all people. May I receive this gift of love with gratitude.
Today I will spend a quiet few moments in the presence of God and welcome the gift of love into my heart and being.
[Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John the Baptist,] “This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.” Matthew 11:10
We, too, are messengers of the Lord when we trust in God’s vision of peace and unity, when we are patient and encouraging with each other, when we put aside prejudice and complaints and actively love one another.
Today I will be a messenger of light and hope by choosing kindness and compassion in all my interactions.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. Isaiah 11:9
It is a vision to work toward: where we are filled with the knowledge of the holiness of God’s creation, where we do not harm the earth or each other, where we take care of the world and each other and do not bring about the ruin of anyone or anything.
Today I will embody a vision of reverence toward all of God’s precious creation, especially each and every person.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. Isaiah 2:4
War never serves the good of the people. Yet we continue to wage war. War between countries. War between political parties. War between people with different religions and cultures. War between family members. War between greed and what is good for the earth. War between my desire to do the will of God and my fear of being different, of not having enough, of being hurt.
Today I will walk in peace with myself, my family, my community. I will let go of fear, put my trust in God, and walk in the light of the Lord.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.
Isaiah 9:1
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7b
Grace and peace unending, eternal light of love, compassion, forgiveness, comfort.
Today I will make use of God’s gifts to me to dispel a little bit of the gloom that pervades our society and world.
“…the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Matthew 11:5
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. James 5:7b-8a
In patience I find
gentleness
forgiveness
endurance
forbearance
compassion
hope
Today, Lord, bless me with patience.
Second Sunday of Advent
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another. Romans 15:5a
Each of our unique human voices blends one with the next to make a holy harmony that resounds with forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, nonviolence, and joy in praise and thanksgiving to the One who created us in and for love.
Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)
Sketch for “Jesus the Son of Man”, 1923
graphite and watercolor on paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art
As members of the human family, we are interconnected, entwined with the One who made us in love and for love.
Made in God’s image of love and goodness, we are called to take on the nature of God, called to be love and goodness in the world, called to “live in Love’s energy and to love goodness.”
Today I will practice love by looking for goodness in everyone I meet.
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all. 1 Thessalonians 3:12a
Mary Ann McSweeny 