Advent 3 ~ Love

 

Breathe in God’s love…breathe out the flames of frustration with others we often light our lives each day.

Breathe in God’s love…breathe out the constant critic in your mind that like a hamster on a wheel is ruminating on all that is wrong with you…and others…and the world.

Breathe in God’s love…breathe out with a loud sigh that change rarely happens as immediately or instantly as we’d like.

 

Breathe and be in this moment.

 

Now read ALOUD to yourself this poem/prayer by Jan Richardson

 

Blessing That Meets You in Love

It is true that every blessing begins with love,
that whatever else it might say, love is always, precisely the point.

But it should be noted that this blessing has come today especially to tell you:

it is crazy about you. That it has been in love with you forever.
That it has never not wanted to see your face,
to never not go through this world in your company.

This blessing thought it was high time it told you so, just to make sure you know.

If it has been shy in saying this, it has not been for any lack of wanting to.
It’s just that this blessing knows the risk of offering itself in a way that will so alter you—

not because it thinks you could stand some improving,
but because this is simply where loving leads.

This blessing knows how love undoes us, unhinges us, unhides us.

It knows how loving can sometimes feel like dying.

But today this blessing has come to tell you the secret sent right to your door:
that it gives itself only to those willing to come alive;

that it vows itself only to those ready to be born anew.

 

Re-read again…and again…and again…especially when the doubts creep and crawl around your mind…gnashing their terrible teeth of pointing out all the reasons why this poem/prayer can’t possibly be true.  Because, my friends, my beloved, the above words are truer than you can ever know.  You are known…you are beloved…be in this truth today.  Amen.