Carol One: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Before you listen to this version...consider the final two verses of the beautiful Carol that has ushered us into the season of Advent:

O come, O Bright and Morning Star,

and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

and turn our darkness into light.

O come, O King of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace.

These prayerful words sing, speak to my heart.  In these December days, I long for comfort and for the shadows of brokenness to be made whole and drenched in holy light.  I long for our sad divisions to cease.  Part of why I started and set out with this Carol to Bethlehem is that how you start a journey matters and makes a difference.  If you start off in a frame of mind that is stressed, it stays with you.  For example, ever left home wondering if you turned off the iron??  You know that it isn't until you get back and see that your home is still standing that you finally breathe easy.  Same is true for these December days.  Intentional prayerful-ness matters.  Thoughtfulness and carefulness matters.  It is easy to get swept into the hustle and bustle rather than the savory-ness of God's pace.  Which is why I think it is a good practice to start each day by listening to a Carol, and more to the point, listening to what God might be trying to sing to us through that Carol.  So, where do you need the shadows of night to be dispelled?  Where might you long for the hearts of all humankind to be bound up in grace/love/peace?   Those questions matter and can help us as we take another step toward Bethlehem this day.

Prayer: Journeying God of wisdom, light, and love...help me slow down enough to Your pace today rather than demanded You keep up with me.  Let that truth compel and care for my whole life.  Amen.