Pastor’s Corner “Praying through Advent”

There are many ways to engage the Advent season, intentionally re-orienting yourself to the coming of Jesus. Using Advent Wreaths and Jesse Trees are helpful, as is participating in Immanuel’s Advent Oasis each Wednesday in December. There is another wonderful resource found on pages 598-599 in our Book of Common Prayer 2019: Advent Collects.

A “collect” is a short, formal prayer that collects the individual intentions of the gathered people of God into a single expression of worship and intercession. For example, we open with the “Collect for Purity” every Sunday, asking Almighty God to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit.” Weekly we also pray “The Collect of the Day” before the reading of Scriptures—our prayer book assigns a different prayer each week for this section, including ones specific to Advent.

Pay attention to these Advent Collects. Taken together, they “offer both a concise introduction to the season of Advent and a rich overview of the grace God offers to sinners” (Peter Johnston). Last week the collect oriented us toward both comings of Jesus, and asked for grace “to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” This upcoming week the importance of the Holy Scriptures is brought to the forefront, as we ask for grace “to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them.” In the final two weeks we’ll pray for the revelation of mysteries, the turning of hearts, and the stirring up of the power of God.

I encourage you to weave these Advent Collects into your Advent disciplines. Alone or with a companion or as a family, daily pray the collect for the week, perhaps at a mealtime, or upon waking, or just before going to bed. Notice how the Spirit will shape your thoughts and actions as you do.

Your Pastor in Christ,