Devotional 11-28-21

 “An invitation to a discipline of daily prayer”

As the new Christian year and the holy season of preparation for the yearly remembrance of Christmas (Advent) begins we are called as followers of Jesus Christ to discipline ourselves, to renew our commitment to be Christ-centered in our lives. We are being given the annual opportunity to renew our faith and to practice those times when we stay connected with God, who loves us enough to have entered human life. We are reminded again in our celebrations and experiences that God chose to become human and dwell among us as Jesus, a baby in Bethlehem. The season of Advent, the beginning of a new Church Year, and our preparations for a holy Christmas, is the opportunity to renew and discipline ourselves in a life of intentional prayer. 

For some twenty years now in my life journey as a United Methodist Christian and a Benedictine Oblate I have been committed to the praying what the Church has for centuries called “The Liturgy of Hours”. My spiritual discipline has included daily prayer (joining with the Church universal) – Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night prayer. Very specifically involved in this experience of prayer is joining the Church throughout the world and down through the centuries in praying from the Scriptures three canticles (hymns) that are entwined with the Advent & Christmas story. My personal prayers, intercessions and quiet reflection conclude with the canticle in these three significant times of daily prayer.

The three canticles, found in Luke’s Gospel (Mary’s Magnificat,1:46-55; Zachariah’s Benedictus, 1:67-79; and Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis, 2:29-32) hold a unique place both in the Bible and in the life of the Church. They point and draw us into the very message of this holy season – God choosing to become human and dwelling among us. God with us! These ancient hymns are rich in meaning and praise. 

As we pray them daily, along with many across the world, we as contemporary followers of Christ adopt the words of Mary, Zachariah, and Simeon as our own. They express our praise of God, a reminder of who we are, what our life is all about, and for what purpose we are each called. They can help to keep us Christ centered in our daily life. 

Our United Methodist Book of Worship says – “From the earliest days of the Church, Christian worshipers saw the rising of the sun and lighting of the evening lamps as symbolic of Christ’s victory over death. . .The Orders of Daily Praise and Prayer enable United Methodists to celebrate daily the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (page 568).

I invite you to join in a regular discipline in this holy season and into a new year to pray with the universal Church – Morning (Benedictus [Luke 1: 67-79]; Evening (The Magnificat [Luke 1:46-55]) and Night (before bedtime) (Nunc Dimittis [Luke 2:29-32]). We join with others across the world and down through the centuries in the universal life of daily prayer.  How much each of us and our world needs this life of prayer.

Rev. Dr. Bill Wilson, retired 
Former Assistant to the Bishop, W.Va. Conference, UMC