Holy One, prepare Your way in me. May I be like Elizabeth, fruitful in old age, with eyes to see You at work and a heart to welcome, bless, and affirm. May I be like Zechariah, struck silent when I need space to grow, to reflect, to learn, to be ready for new and unexpected life. May I be like Mary, saying “yes” to You, pregnant with a vision of a better world coming, stretching as Your grace grows within me. May I be like Joseph, willing to wake to Your dream, to walk in faith on a hard road and to protect and nurture the vulnerable. May I be like the angels, proclaiming glad tidings to those in need of them, bringing assurance that there is nothing to fear and having courage to face the new and unexpected. May I be like the shepherds, keeping watch day and night, allowing my fears to be converted to wonder, rushing to encounter Love’s newborn presence in the world. Prepare my heart in the seeing and embracing and sharing of so much more than I can ever hold.

Chaplain Dawn Swartz