an advent prayer

We are never ready, to be honest,

for your coming into the world.

We would like to be a little more prepared,

a little more presentable,

a little more together.

We would like more time,

and yet you come in your own time,

in the fullness of time.

We want to receive you,

but mostly on our own terms.

We want to be in control.

And yet there is never a manageable Christmas,

never an orderly Christmas,

never a perfect Christmas.

Birth is always messy, chaotic, unpredictable.

And so along the way we give up,

and we listen,

in the silence.

We watch for a sign,

and we believe,

despite appearances to the contrary,

that you are surely coming,

just as the word of the promise declares.

Come, Lord Jesus.