our Father’s Love
Deeper and deeper, we enter the experience of the people who awaited the coming of the Messiah. The first week of Advent, we listened to the prayer of the Psalmist, then for two weeks, the words of John the Baptist; now we listen to his mother’s words, Elizabeth, who greeted Mary and the fruit of her womb Jesus with great happiness. Her excitement for Jesus’ birth inspires our own excitement for his second coming. In anticipation, they celebrated with warm greetings toward one another; toward our family members and to all, let us do the same this Christmas. (more…)
Some of us struggle to experience joy in our hearts. In response we may guard ourselves against anything negative in our lives. This includes accepting “negative things” about ourselves. If we meditate on these things, what will free us from our sorrow? But scripture reveals that it is an awareness of our sin and allowing God to separate us from it; this is how we receive the gift of true joy. That is why John’s harrowing words are good news. These words, “God’s winnowing fan is in his hand to clear the threshing floor; the chaff will burn with unquenchable fire.” God is present to separate us from our sin and even make it pass out of existence with the fire of loving forgiveness leaving us joyful for the coming of our Christ. (more…)
We don’t like to confess our sins; well maybe some of us do, but what about those of us who don’t? For two weeks now the scripture has been telling us to get ready for a visit. Christ is coming to visit us. He has visited us before, when he was born in the manger. And the scripture asks us to learn from the ancient people, to learn how to welcome him again. John the Baptist is telling us, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” Are we preparing the way for the Lord?
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Maybe some of us don’t feel ready to journey another year with Christ, maybe some of us feel there is nothing left to learn. Advent is a time for us to find new energy, new desire for God. We turn to the ancient people to learn again from them how to hunger for the fulfillment of God’s promise. How they hungered for the Messiah’s birth, we hunger for the second coming of Christ. This Advent, let us enter into their reality and wait for Christ with them.
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Deeper and deeper, we enter the experience of the people who awaited the coming of the Messiah. The first week of Advent, we listened to the prayer of the Psalmist, then for two weeks, the words of John the Baptist; now we listen to his mother’s words, Elizabeth, who greeted Mary and the fruit of her womb Jesus with great happiness. Her excitement for Jesus’ birth inspires our own excitement for his second coming. In anticipation, they celebrated with warm greetings toward one another; toward our family members and to all, let us do the same this Christmas. (more…)
