Listen:
Exodus 19:7-11
So Moses came down, called together the people’s elders, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. The people all responded with one voice: “Everything that the Lord has said we will do.” Moses reported to the Lord what the people said.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I’m about to come to you in a thick cloud in order that the people will hear me talking with you so that they will always trust you.”
Moses told the Lord what the people said, and the Lord said to Moses: “Go to the people and take today and tomorrow to make them holy. Have them wash their clothes. Be ready for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai for all the people to see.”
Consider:
Preparing is an essential part of active waiting…God is not particularly veiled in this passage about what God asks Moses to tell the people to do in preparation for God’s coming. There are very specific preparations to be made in the period between God speaking to Moses and God appearing to the people.
What moments have you experienced when waiting involved active preparation? Did the time of waiting feel more meaningful to you because the waiting had some activity to it? During this time of Advent waiting, what ACTIVE waiting and preparation activities can you engage in to practice the discipline of being aware all through the waiting? (Hint hint…this daily devotion is a sure fire example of one way). Action can look very still…it can very simply be a sense of awareness that in the time of waiting, things move along still.
Respond:
Individual: Breath Prayers are an excellent way to do a quick centering/awareness check in the busyness of any day. It only involves a simple phrase on the inhale, and a simple responsive phrase on the exhale. Simple as it seems, it can usher in a sense of presence, awareness, and preparation for the waiting in most any situation. Give it a try!
Family: As a family, make a daily plan for the next 5 days…what is something you can do (keep it simple) each day to maintain the joy of ACTIVE waiting on Christmas, be it through reading an extra bit of scripture each night, bake cookies for different neighbors/friends/folks who need extra love. What active waiting/preparing can you do for your hearts to be more ready to receive the joyful gift of Christmas day when it comes? (doing for others is ALWAYS a good option!)
Pray:
God of stillness and activity, be present in both for us, so that we may see the holy in each. Guide us toward the joy of actively waiting for what’s next as we seek your will. Amen.
