From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

Saint Philip’s Wednesday morning mass is usually attended by ten or so kids and their parents. This past Wednesday I talked about preparing for Christmas.

Advent is a season of preparation—preparing for Jesus to come to us in different ways. The first is the most obvious: being born among us. The second comes through in all the readings: his coming again. The third is implicit and part of both of the first two: his being born anew in our hearts.

One of the titles for Mary, the Mother of God, is Theotokos which means “God-bearer.” Perhaps the simplest prayer we can offer this Advent is, “Lord, let me bear you today.” We can ask God for the courage to carry him into the world for others to meet him in us. By our love, patience, forgiveness, humility, and more we can give people a glimpse of Christ in us.

A crucial element of Advent is that it is not simply a season of anticipation but of preparation. In our house, as we prepare for Christmas, there is a lot of clutter. There are boxes and wrapping paper strewn about. If the guests showed up, there would hardly be a fit place to sit, let alone relax!

Advent is the spiritual work of clearing the clutter in our hearts so that we make room for Jesus to be born again in our hearts. It is the work of preparation so that Christ might come not just as a guest, but to live in our hearts, minds, and souls—so that our wills are knit to his.

There is much that blocks that kind of unity with him and it often manifests in how we treat others. It is hard to welcome the Prince of Peace when our hearts are at war with someone, something, some time, or some hurt. Advent is a time to examine the space we create for Christ in our hearts so that we might be God-bearers too.

I offer this document as a resource for that work.

It is a devotional based on the ten commandments that helps us to prayerfully and thoughtfully go about that work of preparation. I hope it is as much a help to you as it has been to me. Let us commit together to bear Christ for the world and for one another this Advent season.

Yours in Hope,

—Fr Robert