ADVENT: A calling of God

This Advent we will hear stories that remind us what faith looks like when placed in our God. Daniel, who is saved from the lion’s den by an angel of God, stays faithful through the discipline of prayer and avoids the temptation of going along with the culture around him. Joel reminds us that it is not too late to return to this disciplined living, “even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning… (2:12).” Isaiah encourages us to remember that “[God] has sent [the savior] to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor… (61:1-2).”

This is a great time for you to reflect on your life’s journey and to remember all the good ways that we have at our disposal to retune our hearts to God: daily prayer and bible study, weekly worship, and the sharing of our gifts. These acts help us to acknowledge our need for God to be in our life. That we cannot continue to allow the culture to dictate our journey. That we cannot ignore that a healthy spiritual life is important. That we cannot live apart from our neighbor and not attend to their needs. When we pray daily, dwell in God’s word, and sing in community praise to our God we are participating in our good health.

The prophets teach us to attend to these things lest we give in to the evil of our age. They call us to a better and healthier way of living. Let us choose to live as God has called us to live: He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Gratitude

Giving thanks is another of those central tenants of the faith. We are to offer up our thanks to God regularly. And it is good for us to remember to be disciplined in our faith and to practice the art of thanksgiving.

Besides, there is scientific research that shows that a person who practices gratitude can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction. UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons researched the practice of gratitude and concluded that when a person practices the discipline of gratitude they not only improve their sense of well-being in the short term, but that this improved sense continues over time.

So, how does one practice gratitude?

The obvious place to start is in our daily prayer. Many of us spend time in prayer interceding on another’s behalf, for peace in the world, for change in our own lives but forget to give thanks. If we start our prayer time giving thanks to God we begin from a place settled in the knowledge of God’s presence and care in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Another way to practice gratitude is to keep a journal. For many, writing lays down in a concrete way our ideas and thoughts that allow us to then be self-reflective. This process makes real for us the many ways God is present in our lives and gives value to what we already have.

If you have trouble doing things on your own, find a prayer or journal partner. Is there someone in our congregation or in your neighborhood that you see as a potential mentor or partner in crime? Practicing with someone else the art of giving thanks may help you both keep on track over the long term. If you cannot meet in person, share a daily phone call or email or text.

The reality is that God has indeed blessed God’s people with abundance. But the world constantly wants us to believe that we never have enough. The reality for most of us is that we have too much! How do we come back to what is real and what is the truth in our midst?

A good place to start is by practicing gratitude. You may come to realize the abundance of your life, appreciate what others have done or are doing around you, rediscover the joy of small pleasures and reconnect your life to the God of creation.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. - Colossians 4:2