O God, enlarge my heart

Savior is Born by Estonian artist Ain Vares

Diane posted a prayer at Faith in Community that I cannot resist sharing here:

Advent Prayer
O God:
Enlarge my heart
that it may be big enough to receive the greatness of your love.
Stretch my heart
that it may take into it all those who with me around the world
believe in Jesus Christ.
Stretch it
that it may take into all those who do not know him,
but who are my responsibility because I know him.
And stretch it
that it may take in all those who are not lovely in my eyes,
and whose hands I do not want to touch;
through Jesus Christ, my savior. Amen

Prayer of an African Christian
With All God's People, World Council of Churches, 1989
From the book Bread of Tomorrow, ed. Janet Morley, Orbis Books 1992


It puts me in mind of that glorious passage in Isaiah:
Sing, O barren one who did not bear;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman
will be more than the children
of her that is married,
says the Lord.
Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations
be stretched out;
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread out
to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess the nations
and will settle the desolate towns.
(Isaiah 54:1-3)

Our hearts, our dreams, our visions, our hopes are all so small. God calls us to enlarge them all, to make room for the new, to make room for more.

The Theotokos is called Platytera, More Spacious [than the heavens], because she contained in her womb the Creator of all things. We too are called to be God-bearers as Christ dwells also in and among us.

There is so much enlarging to be done.

From Pepper Marts came this prayer to point us beyond Tuesday:

The Work of Christmas


When the star in the sky is gone,
When the Kings and Princes are home,
When the shepherds
are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins -
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To teach the nations
To bring Christ to all
To make music in the heart.

-- Howard Thurman

Be kind to yourselves these last few days before the Feast of the Incarnation.

Keep space for God.

God will enlarge us; we need to say, "Yes."
--the BB