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AWAKE_ADVENT_4

Hebrews 1:1-4

To Ponder:   The Worth of a Thousand Words
Studies suggest that, on average, we speak over 15,000 words a day. Most of those words seem to spill from me without really thinking about them: Starting with mumbled morning greetings and a somewhat clearer query about the status of coffee. My words just stack up: Logistics of a single-car family, endless games of peekaboo with my toddler, while petting the neighbors yappy dog, many-many phone conference calls for work, the mailman, calls from my parents or friends wanting to be in touch, the woman in line behind me at the grocery store who is also playing peekaboo with my daughter, family dinner, then bedtime story. Then I get to talk my husband, another grown up, in full sentences and multisyllabic words.

In the Bible, it keeps coming back to the word. In the beginning there was the word. The tongue is mightier than the sword. And blessed are those who read the words of ending revelations. And Jesus, as a reflection of God, sustains all things with his powerful word. And yet, once we claim an identity as Christians, we our also seen as reflections of God and our words a reflection of our faith.

Prayer for the day:
Dear God, thank you for the gift of words, of language and stories, and Your word.Open my ears to hear your reflection in others. Make me mindful of how powerful my words are in how others see You and me.
Amen.

~ Gimbiya Kettering, Intercultural Ministries Coordinator
Save the Date: May 1-3 for “All God’s People Say Amen” Intercultural  Retreat in ANE.

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.