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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Unbound Prayer Partners Finding God in stillness

                                    December 12, 2016
Finding God in stillness Throughout the Advent/Christmas season, our weekly ePrayers include a special series of reflections on the upcoming Sunday readings. This reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is from Unbound New Channels Coordinator Barclay Martin.
It happens about this time every year.
Amidst all the songs of peace and joy of the season, I can sometimes find myself alone in my busyness. Last week, I was caught in the middle of a long stretch of flurried activity. There was no time to plan or contemplate, just react.
I know I need to slow down.
The trouble is, slowing down can be scary. It can feel like nothing's happening, like I'm wasting precious moments of my life. Surely I could be doing something, crossing something off my list, making myself useful. Letting go of that pace can feel lonely at first. But it's in that stillness that I can finally get quiet enough to truly listen.
Emmanuel, God is with us.
Ultimately, the essence of this season is embedded in this good news. Despite this, each day, I'm bombarded by countless things that distract me and keep me from experiencing the full gift of Advent.
Emmanuel, God is with us.
I've come to understand this truth as a daily invitation to engage in good conversation with friends, tell those in my life that I love them, and allow myself to be vulnerable enough to connect with my fellow human beings. In that place, I am invited to meet others with an outstretched hand. In that place, there's a response to the loneliness that exists in our world. In that place, there is hope.
Emmanuel, God is with us.
The Unbound movement is built on this sacred connection that exists between people. As we accompany our sponsored friends along the path out of poverty, so they accompany us along the path toward the heart of God.


In the words of the Advent carol we pray:
O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

We rejoice this day because Emmanuel has indeed come to us. May he this day be born anew in us and in the very heart of all the world. Amen.

Blessings,
Unbound Prayer Team
P.S. We welcome you to submit your prayer requests to us. These prayers are offered in the chapel at Unbound's headquarters in Kansas City and are not shared publicly. Submit a prayer request.

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