(Note: see also my Year B Advent offerings from 2017.)

This litany follows along with the Advent readings for Year B, Week 2. Themes of preparation: “prepare the way of the Lord; themes of a promise forthcoming : “we wait for new heavens and new earth, where righteousness is at home.” (2 Peter 3:13); and themes of comfort: “comfort my people (Isaiah 40:1). I have woven these themes into this week’s liturgy offering, in hopes of helping us live wholly in the difficult now and the longed-for not-yet.

In this year's Advent series, I'm using this phrase "There is a moment" as an opening line rather than the usual address of God. This is an intentional choice to help place us in the Now/Not Yet into which Advent invites us, and as a way to acknowledge the rumble of longing beneath our current reality.

I will post the remainder of this year's Advent series after December 1.

There is a moment
Just before the promise of God -
The promise of goodness -
Comes to pass;
In which we prepare inside ourselves
Space for the Divine to be born.

get the full litany

The Lectionary text from the Gospels for the first week of Advent, Year A, is Matthew 24:36-44.
Traditionally, the candle of Hope is lit on week 1 of Advent. I wrote another advent series year before last; week 1 of that series can be found here. This year I will continue following along with the Lectionary texts for Year A. I've concentrated on the Matthew passage here, but woven in threads from the other Lectionary readings from Sunday.

God, we are a people in darkness.
We prepare our hearts.
For the coming of Messiah,
We prepare our hearts.
For the coming of light,
We prepare our hearts.
For the peaceful kingdom,
We prepare our hearts.

We exchange our weapons for gardening tools (1).
We look to your coming.
We exchange stone hearts for those of flesh (2).
We look to your coming.
We exchange fear for love.
We look to your coming.
We exchange guilt for forgiveness.
We look to your coming.

Let us go down now, to where the living water flows
And cleanse ourselves.
Let us set aside distractions and idols
For salvation is near (3).
Let us be alert and ready,
For the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour (4).

The King is coming.
We prepare our hearts.

Amen

(1)”...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Isaiah 2:4

(2) “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

(3) “...it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers.” Romans 13:11

(4) “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Matthew 24:44