There is a lovely old prayer that is often read on the Sunday before Advent that says, "Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that richly bearing the fruit of good works, we may by you be richly rewarded..."
Years ago my grandmother, upon praying this prayer in church, would later rush home and begin to assemble the ingredients for her Christmas cake. This, you see, was "stir up" Sunday and not only were we to stir our Christmas cake ingredients, but we were to stir our hearts and minds to prepare for Advent and the coming of Christ.
This past week, I thought of this prayer as I participated in a celebration of "new ministry" as a neighbouring parish greeted its new pastor. My 21-year-old cousin Cameron read from the "gospel of Luke"(Luke 4: 38-44). His clear, booming voice and his beaming smile shone into every nook and cranny of the church and with each word he read - he also shared an unspoken message - "this is God's word come into our midst, this is Good News, this is love right here, right now."
He was clearly stirred up. That night the good news was about new birth, new beginnings, new relationships, and God was clearly at the centre of it all.
Whether it's an old prayer or a new beginning, let's stir our hearts every day and get ready for the Spirit's blessing on us all.
