2nd Advent
Philippians 4:1, 4:4-9
Therefore my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and
my crown of glory, stand firm in the power of the Lord.
Rejoice in the nearness of the Lord at all times!
And I say it again: Rejoice!
Let a gentle kindliness be evident toward all human
beings you encounter. The Lord is near! Let not worry have power over you; let
your concerns in all things be known to God by sending your supplication and
prayer upward in thankful thoughts. And the peace of God, which transcends
anything that the intellect can grasp, will keep your hearts and thoughts safe
in the Being of Christ….
And lastly dear brothers I say to you:
all that is true,
all that is worthy of reverence,
all that is good and holy,
all that is lovely to look at and beautiful to hear,
all that has virtue and deserves praise:
let these be the content of your conversations and
thoughts. All that you have had handed on to you, what you have heard from me
and seen in me—put all this into practice; then the God of Peace will be with
you!
2nd
Advent Sunday
Philippians
4.1 and 4.4-9
If
you want to worthily prepare your home for a special guest, first you would
de-clutter. You remove the ugly, the useless and outdated from the furnishings.
Then you can proceed to add beauty: light a warm fire or fragrant candles,
arrange fresh flowers, set the table and prepare refreshments.
On
this our second Advent Sunday, we continue our inner preparations for Christ’s
coming. We are preparing the house of the soul for the coming of the Guest.
Paul
suggests first that we clear out the ugly debris of worry, through prayer. And
when that inner housekeeping task is done, we can proceed with positive
additions to our own soul space. Paul encourages us to fill our inner house
with the aroma of gratitude and the warmth of loving-kindness. He suggests that
we beautify the soul with thoughts that celebrate truth; with good and
wholesome things to contemplate that evoke reverence; with lovely and
praiseworthy virtue.
In
this way we truly ready the soul’s house for the coming of Christ, by making
our hearts a beautiful and worthy place for the Great Guest, the Prince of
Peace.
For
in the words of the poet:
We are the guardians
of His Beauty.
We are the protectors
of the Sun.
There is only one reason
We have followed God
into this world:
To encourage laughter,
freedom, dance
And love….
We are the companions
of His Beauty.
We are the guardians
Of Truth.
Every man, plant and
creature in Existence…
Is a servant of our
Beloved—
A harbinger of joy,
A harbinger of
Light.[1]
