“Comfort, O comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her,
that she has served her term”
Isaiah 40:1-2 NRSVUE
December 13, 2023
I hear the Divine invitation of Advent to move along the bridge between prophecy and
fulfillment, a period of vulnerable evolution of expectation. Our expectations evolve between the
Immaculate Conception and Miraculous Birth of Jesus; between his historic birth to his awaited
Second Coming; between his return as Messiah to the world and his ushering of peace in the
establishment of a new Jerusalem. What are we carrying in divine expectation?
I hear the childhood hymn sung in my aunt’s church in the Caribbean, “Jerusalem, my happy
home, when shall I come to thee? When shall thy sorrows have an end? Thy joys when shall I
see?” I hear Rachel’s voice in Ramah as the backdrop to the innocent children caught in
escalating violence today in our communities and the Holy Land. I hear Herod’s genocidal call in
the backdrop of Jesus’ birth and today’s infant mortality rates for Black and Brown babies.
The Advent bridge of expectation mirrors the vulnerable evolution of pregnancy—from prenatal
care to comfort measures during labor. The joys and pain of expectation continue beyond birth
into the lives of our children and people. Let us speak tenderly to the Jerusalem within ourselves,
each other, and our communities. Let us be midwives, active ushers of the peace we are called to
bring into the world.
Sister Dora Muhammad
Friend of Metropolitan
Prayer: Gracious God, empower all we say and do to meet the demands of justice to also bring
comfort to sorrows. Help us see to the peace in the world. Amen.
Advent Guide 2023
As we stand in expectation of peace on Earth and reflect on the events of our times and the lives of our brothers, sisters and siblings in Christ, we await change and new birth.
We seek, listen and perceive the presence of God in words of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
We invite you to join us in meditation, reflection, prayer and spiritual disciplines throughout the season of Advent and beyond.
Read along with us each day or download the book to read and reflect along with us offline.
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