Simple Advent Friday Five: hopes and longings

Sally over at the Revgalblogpals asks us this very simple, but profound question for our Friday Five this week:

What do you long for this advent? What are your hopes and dreams for the future? What is your prayer today?

In the vein of simplicity I ask you to list five advent longings

1. I will simply state what my friend PS said she longs for (in the comments of my last post): "I'm longing for an America that isn't driven by shopping for more stuff that eventually goes to the thrift shop."

2. I'm longing for a renewed congregational vision: where we see ourselves as disciples of Jesus, giving ourselves away to bring the good news to our family, our community, our world. I'm longing for a congregation that becomes intentionally mult-ethnic, just as our community and our school is becoming. And I'm longing for a renewed congregational vision of us as forgiven sinners, humble and empowered at the same time.

3. I'm longing for schools that value and respect each student, and give each of them the opportunity to succeed. I'm longing for communities that see a vision of each child as a child of God.

4. I'm longing for communities where some people are not trampled on so that other people can have their desires satisfied.

5. I'm longing for the hungry to be fed, wherever they are. I'm longing for the thirsty to be satisfied. And I'm longing for true community, both the depth and the pain when people truly commit themselves to one another and to a mission.

Come, Lord Jesus
Be Our Guest -- and Our Host.
Amen.