Advent begins tomorrow, November 30, and in worship we will hear the ancient prophet's words, "O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay; and you are our potter; we are the work of your hands." (Isaiah 6:8).

Advent is a time of paying particular attention to our longing and our waiting.  We know the world is longing for peace in places like Syria, and waiting for justice in places like Ferguson.  Yet in our own anxious and often scattered lives, internally we too are longing for a measure of peace and waiting for things to be set right. And the outer world and our inner worlds are not disconnected.

On the first Sunday of Advent we pray that God would stir up God's power and come. This is a prayer for God to come and reshape the world; and since we are part of the world, it is a prayer that God would come and reshape us.  Those of us who are longing to be less lonely, more engaged, more connected with others, of more use to others, ... we are praying that God would stir up God's power and come to reshape and reform the whole world - ourselves included.

One way that we put ourselves into a position whereby God might have renewed opportunity to reshape and reform us is through a renewed commitment to prayer.  In the days ahead, I will offer simple reflections on Paul's letter to the Philippians and how it might give shape to a life that is shaped by prayer.   I hope you'll join in.