Remembrance of Advent with a Friend (repost)

From Advent 2006...

Advent always reminds me of my friend Paul Berry. In his last season of Advent of his life on earth he blessed me and others with a few Advent devotionals. Although I am late, I wanted to share what he wrote for the first Sunday of Advent, 2003:

Hello,

Just a short note to wish each of you a blessed Advent Season of reflection, fulfillment and adventure as the world whirls through space. May these coming days open with joy and opportunity for each one of you.

Below is a devotional for the 1st Sunday of Advent--

for this season I am including a reading from the Psalter which, I believe, expresses beautifully the time and season of celebrating journey on the travel toward a certain manger.

May you find it useful.

Grace and Peace be yours--

with love,

Paul

Read Psalm 150

After 149 songs of praise and penitence, of lament and loud Alleluias, of prayers for leaders and against enemies - the Book of Psalms ends with a Doxology - a call to all of us - and all of creation - to praise God.We are called to praise God with all that wehave at our disposal: from stringed instruments to blaring horns, from melodious voices to tapping feet, and more. Because the Book of Psalms is the collection of songs about the whole human condition, not just the "good" parts of life, we know we can praise God with all that we are:
pain-bearers are encouraged to lift that unbearable
burden to God;
mourners are invited to merge their tears with
those streaming down God's cheeks;
those who stumble in the shadowed corners of
life can bring their bruised shins to the One
who will bandage them;
those who feel most abandoned by God can rage
against the throne of heaven, knowing their
alienation is as welcome as all the alleluias

lifted in joy;

AND, all the rest of us, if any have been left out.

YES! All of us,
every single one of us -

We

are invited to praise the Lord!
Prayer:

Praise, sometimes faint, sometimes faltering,

yet with a desire to be faithful is lifted to you,

God who has done great things.
Prayers, sometimes hesitant, sometimes
halting, always hopeful, are lifted to you,

God who will do marvelous things.

May we make joyful praise and thankful prayer as much

a part of this readying and waiting time as are the fun of parties and gifts.

Amen.

Originally posted 12/5/2006 9:09 PM