Advent Is A Poem That Imagines

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Advent is a poem that imagines.  - Walter Bruggeman 

 I read the above quote today and it resonated with me.  If this particular Advent season is a poem, I'd have to say for me it's probably a lot like T.S. Eliot's Journey of the Magi, which begins with these words:
A cold coming we had of it,Just the worst time of yearFor a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. 
I don't know about you, but I'm filled with anticipation as I journey through this Advent season.  I'm eager for the arrival and renewal of hope. I'm longing for the fresh start of a new year.  I also feel like I've got some things that need to change so I can be ready. 

 Evelyn Underhill sums up nicely what I've been feeling lately about my own preparations for Advent
Human nature is like a stable inhabited by the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice; animals which take up a lot of room and which I suppose most of us are feeding on the quiet.  And it is there between them, pushing them out, that Christ must be born and in their very manger he must be laid--and they will be the first to fall on their knees before him.  
As you take these last steps in your Advent journey, I would invite you to join me in a prayer of preparation that will enable us to be focused on making room for the Christ. 

 Christ-child, Messiah, Savior, Prince of Peace... 
I pray that your arrival will be met with hospitality, 
Both in my own heart and in the hearts of those who wait. 
Waiting is the challenge, Yeshua.  
Because in the waiting, I often rearrange my furniture Or add so many pieces that there's no place for you in my heart-house. 
Jesus, Son of God, I know it's time for a garage sale.  
Give me the courage to write "Everything Must Go" on the sign. 
And let me be ready for your arrival, ready for a change. 
I pray this with my whole, anxious, trembling and eager being. 
Amen.  

 May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen. 

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