Saturday, December 8
Our God makes his entrance,
he's not shy in his coming.
Starbursts of fireworks precede him.
Psalm 50: 1-3 (The Message)
From the dazzle of Zion,
God blazes into view.
Our God makes his entrance,
he's not shy in his coming.
Starbursts of fireworks precede him.
Put yourself in a shepherd’s shoes, or sandals as it were.
You’ve got the night shift, and you carefully watch your herd as the quiet night hovers like a blanket around you.
BOOM!
God bursts through the sky with a bright light and a shining angel. The heavenly messenger is soon joined by a multitude of angels singing, “Glory to God!”
This is some fireworks display! God comes in human form, and He does it with a crack in the sky and a bright bolt of lightning! The shepherds could not miss it, and who would want to? God made his entrance with a bang, and what a mighty celebration it was!
It’s only appropriate to do so, after all, He is the one who saves the world!
Pray: Make your entrance, burst through the dark clouds. Show us your glory. Amen.
Friday, December 7
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah 40: 3-5 (NRSV)
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Luke 3: 3-6 (NRSV)
He (John the Baptist) went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Looking ahead for visiting friends and family is an exciting thing. What about going to visit friends and family? This is also greatly anticipated. Some people say that the wait is more exciting than the actual event. I tend to agree. As a kid, I made paper chains with the days for December on each piece. Every day I removed a link. Christmas was coming! On the day my grandparents were due to arrive, my brothers and I waited at the big picture window and watched for their car to arrive on our street. When we traveled to our grandparent’s home, we would count the mile markers down to the magic number that marked the exit into their small town.
Anticipation leads to celebration, and it is almost always a joy!
Isaiah foretold John the Baptist’s arrival. John foretold Jesus’ arrival. The expectation of both prophets brought joyful expectation for God’s people. For them it was not merely a fun time, but it was looking ahead to a time where the oppression of the Hebrews would come to an end. The Messiah would restore their freedom. Jesus was not only a person for which they waited, He marked the arrival of a new kingdom, one in which they would no longer be oppressed.
It seems much more important than my childhood anticipation of time with Grandma and Grandpa.
Waiting for John, who helped us wait for Jesus, has far greater implications. In this season of Advent, we wait with great anticipation of a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
Pray: We can’t wait, but we will. Be with is in our anticipation, so that when we celebrate our Savior’s birth, the arrival will be a wondrous time. Amen.
Thursday, December 6
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.”
Luke 1: 68-79 (NIV)
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies and
from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him
without fear in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to
prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
When our oldest son was born, my husband was completely enamored with the wiggly little guy. I remember the charm of his wonder as we dressed our son for the trip home from the hospital. He cried, screamed even. As most babies do, baby Eric protested mightily to the very idea of being changed into new clothes.
As we dressed Eric, my adoring husband held the screaming baby, looked at all in the room, and lovingly asked, “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Babies bring joy and promise into our lives! The scripture today is Zechariah’s joyful exclamation at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. John’s birth brought promise, not just for his parents, but for all God’s people. He would prepare us for Jesus’ arrival, the arrival of God’s promised Messiah.
Zechariah exclaimed is his own awe-filled way, “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Pray: Isn’t it wonderful? Thank you for the new life and promise of your Son, our Savior. Amen.