In Our Waiting

In Our Waiting

Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

                                                     Mark 13:33-37

 

Dear Creator God, 

We acknowledge that You are the Creator of the Universe, a trillion gum trees, the deepest ocean, the broadest dry land mass, the sun, the moon, and all creatures, great and small. 

We apologise profusely for having sinned against You and for causing You so much distress when we don’t treat one another or our common home the way we should. 

Creator God, we call on You in our waiting and distress. 

I wonder, am I under the ocean? Because when I look up, I see clouds crashing around me like waves. Will a big canoe come and rescue us before we drown? 

Am I a butterfly? Moving through the four stages of metamorphosis, am I stuck somewhere between being an egg and an adult? When can I claim my wings and fly away? 

Creator Spirit, I sit quietly with my hands over my head. I pray as I reflect on disputes among nations, and disputes among people within nations, the persecution of Christians, wars, floods, droughts, famine, disease, plagues, and bushfires.  

I pray for my people across these lands who live under third-world conditions and are not even recognised for the wealth of knowledge they bring. I pray this will change. 

I now know that you cannot have a rainbow without rain, or eucalyptus seeds cannot sprout without a bushfire; we cannot be saved without accepting Your Son, Jesus as our personal Saviour.  

May we keep awake this Advent season to the hope and promise of peace, renewal, and new life we find in the coming of Your Son, Jesus. In our waiting, like innocent children waiting for Father Christmas, may we explode with hopeful anticipation and enjoy knowing the loving mercy and grace we have been given. 

Amen 

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Prayer written in reflection on Advent verse  Mark 13:33-37.

A visual reflection of Aunty Sue Hodges' Advent prayer is below.

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Aunty Sue Hodges is a Wiradjuri woman from the Central Western Slopes and Plains of Wellington in NSW. She is part of the Salvation Army’s Indigenous Ministry team working as the Divisional Indigenous Engagement Coordinator for NSW/ACT. She works in many areas including providing prison ministry, advocacy, and providing guidance to the denomination around Indigenous cultural and social justice issues.

This devotional is the third in a series of daily email devotionals for Advent 2023. This year's series reflects on the longing, hope, and beauty of God’s ‘Common Home’ being realised, revealed, and renewed through the birth of Jesus.

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