Christ Comes on the Wings of Prayer: Advent 2020

Advent 2020—and what a year it’s been! For most of us, this past year has left us feeling helpless and, at times, hopeless. For months we’ve been engrossed in a twisted litany of overwhelming challenges, conflicts, and tragedies. We’ve spent much of our waking moments burrowed in our own homes, seeking safety and relief within our own private thoughts and domains.

And now Advent 2020 begins—the celebration of the coming of Christ! Yet much of the world is in no mood to celebrate. And that may be just as true for you and me.

Yet, let’s consider for a moment something that this tradition of Advent features. It’s never been simply about the birth of Christ. It’s always incorporated the present coming, as well as the future coming, of Christ. Jesus came to us more than 2000 years ago. Jesus will come again at a time only the Triune God knows. And, miracle of miracles, Jesus continually comes to us each and every day!

But how? How does Jesus come to us today? And what might we do to participate in his daily coming? One mysterious yet rarely considered way is through prayer. Christ comes on the wings of prayer. Through prayer we summon the Advent of Christ into our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, and our world!

During this terribly helpless, powerless time of ours, when our world has been torn asunder by a deadly pandemic and insidious racism, our nation by a political schism, might you and I consider that God needs our help to do his will? Might we be a channel for the present Advent of Christ as we pray for a world that desperately needs a Savior?

Over the next 4 weeks of Advent, Fall Creek Abbey will post one simple prayer prompt each day on the Fall Creek Abbey Face Book page. Each prompt will be focused, simple and brief. We’d like to invite you into a 60 second daily prayer experiment as you read the post and send your prayers out into the world toward whoever comes to mind.

For those who would like to set aside time for their own Advent retreat we have prepared our annual guide that can be downloaded here: https://www.fallcreekabbey.org/free-resources. You can use this guide during a single sitting, over the course of a week (there are seven movements of prayer), or you can pray through it four times during the four weeks of Advent. And by all means, register for a day retreat at Fall Creek Abbey during Advent. We'd love to welcome you into our space, provide a private room for your retreat, a copy of the printed guide and lunch!

Blessed Advent, David and Beth