An Advent Prayer from Me to You

In my wanderings around Scotland during the past three years, I be-
came aware of a group of women and men of great and lively faith with
whom I have a sense of kinship. They were Celtics who lived in Ire-
land, Scotland, and northern England from the 5th century to the 8th.
There are people in these days who are fascinated with Celtic spiritu-
ality from that era, and rightfully so. But what attracts me to them is
that there was a number of them who yielded their lives to God, exper-
ienced the forgiveness of sins based on the death of Christ, and moved
in the power of the Holy Spirit.

For these Celtic Christians Advent was like a second Lent, a time of
preparation and repentance in anticipation for the Second Coming of
Christ. Believers spent time apart from daily activities in order to wait
upon God. Advent was a special time of wonder, warning, and waiting.
They took time to reflect on the four great facts of life: death, judg-
ment, Heaven, and Hell. This has given Advent and Christmas a whole
different sense for me the past few years. I would encourage you to do
the same.

A dear friend and Christian brother who, for many years, has ponder-
ed the meaning of Jesus Christ, Advent, and the Christian life has writ-
ten a prayer that is my prayer for you and me this Advent season:

Calm us to wait for the gift of Christ;
cleanse us to prepare the way for Christ;
teach us to contemplate the wonder of Christ;
touch us to know the presence of Christ;
anoint us to bear the life of Christ.
(Ray Simpson)