“I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.”  Isaiah

It was a stereotypical November day: gray, raw, cold and windy. Everything on Creighton’s campus seemed gray, especially the classic Gothic stone walls of St. John’s Church.

But inside, St. John’s was a different world, warm and peaceful. Even at noon, it was so dark that it seemed like evening. The red sanctuary lamps twinkled against the classic white marble old main altar and the vaulted white ceilings gleamed even in the dim light from the blue stained glass windows.

I sat in a pew not really praying or meditating, just trying to listen to what the Spirit might say if I quieted down enough to hear it. 

This simple thing, I think, is what today’s reading from Isaiah is asking us to do. We have to find ways to listen in order to allow God to teach us what is for our good and to lead us on the way we should go. But this is unlikely to happen on a busy street or at a noisy office party.

 My visit to St. John’s reminded me that we are in Advent when the Church encourages us to prepare for the birth of Christ by trying to discern the promptings of the Spirit. What is God’s will for our lives? What paths our lives should follow? Ironically this is less likely to happen during the crazy holiday season than the rest of the year unless we make a conscious effort to prepare for Christmas by observing Advent.  

So give yourself an Advent gift today. Spend at least 15 minutes in your favorite church or other meditative space and let God teach and lead you.  See what you learn and carry it into your life.