Holy and Beloved God,

we are grateful for the gift of hope

You have placed in the middle of our Advent way

in the person of your Son, Jesus Christ.

In the wilderness of our ancestors' exile,

Your prophet foretold of a new road,

a highway of holiness,

weaving through the wasteland of their lives,

offering them a new avenue to the promised land.

In lives crowded with despair,

cluttered with broken dreams,

Your prophet tells us to make way for the coming of our God.

John burst upon this wilderness scene

proclaiming new possibilities of repentance and renewal

for those whose hope had grown old.

He invites us to slow the pace

and move in the rhythm of your redeeming grace.

This is the season, O Gracious God,

when you invite us to being again;

to believe again in the promise of your prophets.

On this Advent avenue,

give us the courage to give comfort to those we meet.

Grant us patience to stand and wait,

to watch and to pray on this Advent way.

Nurture the hope within us

that will afford us the vision

to see the beginning of a new day

for all your people.  Amen.