Wonder

Sometimes I forget to live in wonder--

With amazed admiration and awe

Of each breath we are given,

Of each precious moment we live.

We walk through the Advent season

And we reflect and introspect

And we make room, open space

For the gift of the Savior--

Emmanuel, God with us.

And then we take the decorations down,

And the parties stop, and life gets back

To the normal routine in which 

We entered into the season.

But God keeps putting the gift of wonder

In my heart -- that mystery of faith

And I am filled with such gratitude

For no matter the circumstance

There is this sparkling wonder in every day.

And when I am attentive and awake

When I am alive and thankful

I can see God's fingerprints in everything

To be on this journey is such an amazing gift.

I am filled with awe when I recall

All the abundance with which God has loved

And all the ways that even on the darkest nights

God never leaves, never abandons, never lets go.

Let me live each day looking for the wonder

Let me trade in my worry for wonder

Let me turn my despair into hope

Let me see even in the dark the amazing light ahead

For Christ has come

In glory and in wonder.

Gift of a Savior

May the journey to Bethlehem

Have the power to change us –

Our perspective, our actions, our hearts

As the wondrous Gift is given

If Christ is in us

Are we welcoming each one we encounter

With the same reverence and honor

With which we approach the holy manger

In a world around us that is broken

Do we carry the hope with us

That we know to be true

Through the Savior born to save us

Do we carry an abundant joy within our souls

So that we are carrying the news of the Light

Into to a world that was as dark as night

Reflecting and illuminating the True Light

Gift of a Savior

Softened heart, renewed spirit

Love for all, joy abounding

Hope has come, spread the word.

Emanuel, God with us.

Advent Reflection

The journey to Bethlehem is filled
With so many thoughts about preparation
Is everything ready?  Are the decorations hung?
Are the cookies made? Are the presents wrapped?

Yet my reflection leads me to knowing something more
Is the depth of my soul ready to receive my King?
Have I looked in deeply?  Have I softened my heart?
Do I have a generous spirit?  Is His joy the melody I carry?

For when I take the time and relish a quiet moment
And give myself in prayer, do I truly surrender?
To the One who comes?  To the Savior of the world?
To the Savior of my heart and life?

If we are preparing to see the King
We might think of our ouside appearance
Do we look presentable enough? Is our hair just right?
But Our King cares enough to know our hearts
And He invites us to come as we are

How humbly He comes, this Savior of the world
He comes to lift our burdens and look into our eyes
He comes to wipe away the tears and never leave us
He comes to save a world that needs rescue

Are you ready?

Making Space

In Advent I am called more deeply

To a sense of attentiveness

To the world around me

And the soul inside me

No matter where I am on my journey

God shows me new things with new eyes

In the waiting there are so many gifts to behold

And in my life of prayer and contemplation

I am called to draw in deeper

When I can settle into the peace

And let go of the busyness of the season

There are gifts in the reflection

That allow me to see, to notice, to awake

In each Advent season, it seems

I need to make space in a new way

To reflect, renew, restore

So that I am ready to be led

By that little Child

What is familiar becomes new again

The singing of the hymns resound in my soul

The reading of the texts are understood in a new way

And there is an illumination of what is coming

But it requires silence and thought

Not rushing through the days

Not running to Bethlehem

But putting one step in front of the other

Being aware of the journey

In the waiting.  In the reflecting.

In the attentiveness in my heart

In the opening of my soul.

Touching What Is Holy

I can touch what is holy
And it is around me at every moment
For it is a natural course:
Loving ourselves, loving others
But also being deeply and profoundly
Loved by God.

Beloved.

"The kingdom of God is within you."
When I really concentrate on that love
That love that is so encompassing
That love that is so abundant
I am left in awe.

Allow me to be grateful enough
To be trusting enough
To accept this God-given grace
Because I then see and can embrace
Creation alive within each me and others.

With age comes greater gifts:
I long for simplicity and humility
I am not caught up with measuring up
At least not by the world's stndard

I have a greater gift now
In my ordinariness there is
A deep need for vulnerability
For breaking myself wide open

To embrace all that I can be
All that I can learn
All the ways I can serve
When I listen to that
Still small voice within.

Beloved.

Crossing the Bridge

I find that I can't cross a bridge
Just watching from the other side
I need to take a leap of faith
And take one step at a time
To being the journey.

Pressing on, moving ahead
Requires faith and bit of courage

But crossing the bridge
Moving from despair to hope
Is worth the peservance
To get to the other side

Life is indeed a journey
There dreams to dream
And a life to live
And wisdom to gain

And at the center of it
Is love to be shared
Through a heart of faith
Wth fortitude and strength

Crossing the bridge means
Forgiveness
Awareness
Awakening
Understanding
Freedom
Healing

To get to all you are becoming
And the life that's unfolding
At every moment.

Reach out your hand
Take the first step
Move the first stone
Cross the bridge

A Different Lens

If I just take a moment not just to look
But to really see through a different lens
I see new colors, no longer faded but vivid
I notice something different, because I am different

The world is not just black and white
But so many different hues and shades
And sometimes I think something should be my way
But taking the time for a different view brings light

When I put aside judgements or preconceptions
And just live for this precious moment I'm given
I can let go of things that hold me back
And have the courage to see in a new way

The old has passed away, the new has come
And there is precious grace in that knowledge
That letting go means beginning again
And taking a leap of faith

And seeing.  In a new light.

Just by changing the lens.