Grace Church in New York

Restoring All People Within Our Reach To Unity With God And Each Other Through Jesus Christ

Grace Church

in New York

Restoring All People Within Our Reach To Unity With God And Each Other Through Jesus Christ

Advent Meditations

The period of Advent, often experienced as a “mini” lent, is rife with opportunities to explore our faith. Being able to share our meditations with each other, electronically, will be a great enhancement to both the spiritual and physical journey through these seasons of contemplation and discovery.

December 25

Christmas Day (Year B)

Pray

Read

Isaiah 52:7-10 | Psalm 98 | John 1:1-14 | Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)

Pray

Advent Meditation by The Reverend J. Donald Waring

When I was six years old the number-one thing that I wanted for Christmas was a large toy firetruck. Then came the day in December when my parents took my brothers and me to visit Santa Claus at Hahne & Co., the fashionable department store in downtown Newark, NJ. I told Santa of my wishes, and later on while shopping, my father took a firetruck down from one of the shelves and asked, “How about this one?” It was the object of my desire, and I found that very thing under the tree on Christmas morning. My joy knew no end, but I do remember wondering how the big fella in the red suit had pried the firetruck away from Dad so that he could land on the roof of our house, come down the chimney, and deliver the toy to me. Nevertheless, I did not allow such inscrutable mysteries to trouble me for long. I was having too much fun playing with the firetruck – which I still have to this day.

Today is not a day to be troubled by the inscrutable mystery at the heart of Christmas: the doctrine of the Incarnation. Perhaps it’s enough to trust that in the birth of Jesus, God was doing something life-giving and loving for the whole world. God became one of us in Jesus. My prayer this day is that you receive God’s gift of Jesus in whatever manner makes sense to you, and that through him your relationship with God becomes new.

Welcome, all wonders in one sight!
Eternity shut in a span.
Summer in winter. Day in night.
Heaven in earth, and God in man.
Great little one, whose all-embracing birth
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heaven to earth.
(Richard Crashaw, 1612-1649)

Advent Drives 2020

You can help our neighbors in need. Participate in the Advent Drives today.

December 25

Christmas Day (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 52:7-10 | Psalm 98 | John 1:1-14 | Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12) Pray Advent Meditation by The Reverend J. Donald Waring When I was six years old the number-one thing that I wanted for Christmas was a large toy firetruck. Then came the...

December 24 – Afternoon

Fourth Thursday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 62:6-12 | Psalm 97 | Luke 2:1-20 | Titus 3:4-7 Pray Advent Mediation by The Reverend Julia Macy Offinger “So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.” Of all the duties that...

December 24 – Morning

Fourth Thursday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 9:2-7 | Psalm 96 | Luke 2:1-20 | Titus 2:11-14 Pray Advent Meditation by James Gomez Winter came and brought with it the darkness of longer nights. Winter came and it was met with even more of the darkness of...

December 23

Fourth Wednesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10 | Luke 1:46b-55 | Mark 11:1-11 Pray Advent Meditation by Cathy Minuse The Magnificat My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his...

December 22

Fourth Tuesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 1 Samuel 1:19-28 | Luke 1:46b-55 | Hebrews 8:1-13 Pray Advent Meditation by Carolyn Ratcliffe The meditations assigned for today reflect on the birth of a child and how God’s promises to his people will be fulfilled. The 1st...

December 21

Fourth Monday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 1 Samuel 1:1-18 | Luke 1:46b-55 | Hebrews 9:1-14 Pray Advent Meditation by The Reverend Thomas J. Szczerba Jr. My dad often jokes about growing up in a household full of images of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He says...

December 20

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 | Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 | Luke 1:26-38 | Romans 16:25-27 Pray Advent Meditation by The Very Reverend Harry E. Krauss “But how does it end? But how does it end?” A long, long time ago I occasionally baby-sat...

December 19

Third Saturday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Judges 13:2-24 | Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 | John 7:40-52 Pray Advent Meditation by Anderson K. Westerman 1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all...

December 18

Third Friday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 2 Samuel 6:12-19 | Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 | Hebrews 1:5-14 Pray Advent Meditation by Sara Queen The message in Samuel concerns David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city and the joy David showed with its arrival –...

December 17

Third Thursday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 2 Samuel 6:1-11 | Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 | Hebrews 1:1-4 Pray Advent Meditation by Maeve Cannon, Optima Psalm 89 “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all...

December 16

Third Wednesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Malachi 3:16-4:6 | Psalm 125 | Mark 9:9-13 Pray Advent Meditation "PEOPLE GET READY" Lyrics by Curtis Mayfield People get ready, there's a train a comin'; You don't need no baggage, you just get on board All you need is...

December 15

Third Tuesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 2 Kings 2:9-22 | Psalm 125 | Acts 3:17-4:4 Pray Advent Meditation by Nicholas Birns Psalm 125 inspires us with its confidence. “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for...

December 14

Third Monday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read 1 Kings 18:1-18 | Psalm 125 | Ephesians 6:10-17 Pray Advent Meditation by Jennifer SanCartier These days when I leave my apartment I don’t go out without my armor - a face mask. Masks, hand sanitizer and gloves provide...

December 13

Third Sunday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 | Psalm 126 | John 1:6-8, 19-28 | 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Pray Advent Meditation by Diana Trevino Benet The Bible readings for today reflect our current mixed feelings: even as we continue to suffer from...

December 12

Second Saturday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Habakkuk 3:13-19 | Psalm 126 | Matthew 21:28-32 Pray Advent Meditation by Martha Hirschman A reading of: A Song of Ascents 1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a] we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was...

December 11

Second Friday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Habakkuk 3:2-6 | Psalm 126 | Philippians 3:12-16 Pray Advent Meditation by Rachel Kuhns "Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind." When I read this verse from Habakkuk Chapter 3, the first thing I thought...

December 10

Second Thursday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Habakkuk 2:1-5 | Psalm 126 | Philippians 3:7-11 Pray Advent Meditation by Melinda Weir Psalm 126. When I first heard the news of the Pfizer vaccine I was, as I’m sure were we all, extremely happy. Later that day however,...

December 9

Second Wednesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Malachi 2:10-3:1 | Psalm 27 | Luke 1:5-17 Pray Advent Meditation by Nancy Dobi From Psalm 27: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When...

December 8

Second Tuesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 4:2-6 | Psalm 27 | Acts 11:1-18 Pray Advent Meditation by Helen DuBois From Psalm 27 The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation Whom Then Shall I Fear? The Lord Is The Strength of My Life Of Whom Then Shall I Be Afraid...

December 7

Second Monday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 26:7-15 | Psalm 27 | Acts 2:37-42 Pray Advent Meditation by Lethe Black This year 2020 has been anointed by popular culture as the worst year ever. It does have a lot of things going for it in the worst year contest -...

December 6

Second Sunday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Isaiah 40:1-11 | Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 | Mark 1:1-8 | 2 Peter 3:8-15a Pray Advent Meditation by Jason Slibeck Before 2020, the darkness of Advent was easier to ignore. We cloaked the mystery in work parties, social events, white...

December 5

First Saturday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Ezekiel 36:24-28 | Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 | Mark 11:27-33 Pray Advent Meditation by Dana Foote a story of how the Grace Church Christmas Pageant came to be - and how it has been my personal preparation for the coming of...

December 4

First Friday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Jeremiah 1:4-10 | Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 | Acts 11:19-26 Pray Advent Meditation by Rebecca Dixon, Eva Dixon, and Lily Dixon Our family loves to celebrate the season of Advent with as much music as possible. It is a special way...

December 3

First Thursday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Hosea 6:1-6 | Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 | 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 Pray Advent Meditation by Mary Jenkins All three of these passages reflect a hope, indeed a certainty that Christ will come again, lifting us out of our trials and...

December 2

First Wednesday of Advent (Year B) Pray Read Micah 5:1-5a | Psalm 79 | Luke 21:34-38 Pray Advent Meditation by Walter Perry Here we are on just the fourth day of Advent, only one month after a pivotal and divisive national election, in a year of unprecedented conflict...

Advent Drives 2020

You can help our neighbors in need. Participate in the Advent Drives today.

Daily Meditations

“…O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight”

A special thank you to the following people who gave so generously of their time, thoughts, and hearts to enrich our season of Advent:
Ginger Blake, Shingmin Lai, Walter Perry, Mary Jenkins, Rebecca Dixon, Eva Dixon, Lilly Dixon, Dana Foote, Kristen Whitehurst, Jason Slibeck, Lethe Black, Helen DuBois, Nancy Dobi, Melinda Weir, Rachel Kuhns, Martha Hirschman, Diana Benet, Douglas Evans, Jennifer SanCartier, Laura Holt, Nicholas Birns, Elana Foundos, Maeve Cannon, Sara Queen, Anderson Westerman, Teresa Conway, The Very Rev. Harry E. Krauss, The Rev. Thomas J. Szczerba Jr., Carolyn Ratcliffe, Cathy Minuse, James Gomez, The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger, and The Rev. J. Donald Waring.