Latest / Family Prayer Podcast / 31. Look for the Signs - Monday Morning

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31. Look for the Signs - Monday Morning · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:00
  Good morning, Grace Harbor! It’s Dan.
• 0:03
  I hope you had a great weekend.
• 0:05
  Now, can you BELIEVE it?!
• 0:08
  It’s finally here!
• 0:09
  It’s CHRISTMAS week!
• 0:11
  I’ll bet for some of you, it feels like you’ve been waiting forever.
• 0:15
  December is one of those weird months where, for adults it seems to fly by,
• 0:20
  but for the kids it feels like the longest month of the year.
• 0:24
  Have you ever been waiting for something so long, it starts to feel like the thing
• 0:29
  you’re waiting for is never going to happen?
• 0:32
  Maybe you’ve stood in a really long line at a theme park
• 0:35
  or at a store that feels like it’s going nowhere.
• 0:39
  Maybe one day you didn’t eat enough for breakfast, and you’re sitting in class
• 0:42
  or at work starving, and it feels like lunch is years away.
• 0:47
  Waiting can be hard, right?
• 0:49
  Especially when we’re so excited about the thing we’re waiting for.
• 0:53
  One word that gets used to describe this feeling
• 0:56
  is “anticipation.” Have you ever heard that word?
• 0:59
  It’s actually one that gets used during Advent a lot.
• 1:03
  Remember Advent is the season we’re currently in
• 1:06
  when we prepare our hearts for Christmas so that we can get the most out of it.
• 1:11
  Advent is a season of waiting, but as we’ve seen together over the last
• 1:16
  few weeks, it isn’t just waiting around, doing nothing, counting down the days.
• 1:21
  Each week has had a theme.
• 1:23
  We started with hope, and then we focused on peace.
• 1:27
  Last week, we dove into joy.
• 1:29
  And as we explored these themes, we didn’t just think about them,
• 1:34
  but we looked for ways to live them out.
• 1:36
  Getting active can help pass the time.
• 1:39
  In our family, sometimes we all get home from school
• 1:42
  and work, and dinner is still an hour or more away.
• 1:46
  We could just sit on the couch and watch TV or scroll on our devices,
• 1:50
  but often times we go for a walk together or play catch in the backyard
• 1:55
  or build Legos or pull weeds in our garden boxes.
• 1:59
  These kinds of activities aren’t just good ways to pass the time,
• 2:03
  but they’re good for our bodies, minds, and our relationships
• 2:06
  with each other as well.
• 2:08
  Now, don’t get me wrong - I love a good veg out
• 2:11
  session on the couch, and somedays that’s just what we need.
• 2:15
  But getting some fresh air or doing something that lets us
• 2:18
  connect as a family leaves me feeling great.
• 2:21
  And before you know it, it’s time to eat!
• 2:24
  As you’ve found ways to incorporate hope, peace, and joy into your rhythms
• 2:29
  these last couple weeks, hopefully it’s helped not only pass the time
• 2:33
  but got you thinking about the meaning of Christmas and how we can share
• 2:37
  the spirit of the season with others.
• 2:40
  There’s something else you can do when you feel like you’re
• 2:42
  having to wait forever, and that is: look for signs that the thing
• 2:46
  you’re waiting for is actually coming
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  So, for example, at the end of the summer, I am *so*
• 2:53
  tired of being hot and sweaty, and I just want autumn to be here.
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  What kinds of signs could I look for that fall is coming
• 3:04
  Well, I could look closely at the leaves
• 3:07
  and see if any of them have started to change colors.
• 3:10
  I could go to the store and see all of the back-to-school stuff on sale
• 3:15
  Or how about this?
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  When you’re really hungry for dinner,
• 3:19
  what are some signs you could look for that dinner is coming?
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  You could see if the table’s been set.
• 3:25
  You could take a big whiff and see if you can smell anything cooking.
• 3:28
  You could look for a timer in the kitchen that might be counting down
• 3:32
  to when dinner will be ready.
• 3:34
  Why don’t you take a minute together as a family
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  and name some of the signs that Christmas is actually coming.
• 3:40
  You could look around your house
• 3:42
  or apartment, or you could think of things you’ve seen around your town.
• 3:45
  If you need more time, you can pause the podcast,
• 3:48
  and I’ll be right here when you get back.
• 4:20
  I’ll bet you were able to come up with a bunch.
• 4:23
  Some that I thought of are the fact that school is out,
• 4:26
  there are decorations up everywhere,
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  and we even have a few presents under our tree already.
• 4:32
  When we meet back together tonight, we’ll talk about
• 4:35
  how God used signs to let people know that Christmas was coming.
• 4:39
  For now, let’s end our time together in prayer.
• 4:42
  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
• 4:46
  Dear God, we thank you that Christmas is so close.
• 4:51
  While it may feel like we’ve been waiting for a long time,
• 4:54
  and we still have a few days to go, there are signs all around us
• 4:58
  that Christmas is coming and that you love us.
• 5:01
  Amen.
• 5:03
  Ok, Grace Harbor!
• 5:04
  Have a great Monday, and I’ll talk to you tonight.