Scripture: Luke 1:17
With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Thought for the Day: During the season of Advent, we talk a lot about expectation and preparing. People who take this notion of anticipatory waiting seriously find a growing and healthy yearning for what is to come. I read a line that said, “…make ready for the unexpected” (J. G. Kirk). This Advent continues to be a time for spiritual preparation, yet how exactly do we prepare for the unexpected. I don’t pretend to have an answer to that question except to learn from a six year old girl who said, “Christmas is going to be great!” “How do you know?” asked her mother. “I don’t know, but it will.” Those are the words of one who has allowed herself to be drawn into the full experience of anticipation where the heart is ready to be surprised.
Prayer: If you do just one thing this Christmas, O God, create within me an expectation of the unexpected. Amen.
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
